Current Publication
ECT argumentation guide – Busting the Myths around the Energy Charter treaty
15. December 2020

Five years after the Paris Agreement was signed, concern is mounting over another, lesser-known international treaty: the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). The ECT is an antithesis to the Paris Agreement, allowing fossil fuel companies to sue countries over their climate policies rather than strengthening the global response to climate change. The ECT was signed over two decades ago without much public debate. It protects all investments in the energy sector, including coal mines, oil fields and gas pipelines. Any state action that harms a company’s profits from these investments can be challenged outside of existing courts, in international tribunals consisting of three private lawyers. Governments can be forced to pay huge sums in compensation if they lose an ECT case. Oil and gas company Rockhopper, for example, is suing Italy over a ban on new offshore oil drilling. Coal company Uniper/Fortum is threatening to sue the Netherlands for its coal phaseout. Several Eastern European countries have been sued because they took steps to lower electricity prices and cut into the profits of energy companies. The lawsuits demonstrate how the ECT can also be used against government action to reduce energy poverty.
Activities & Opinions
World Wetlands Day 2021: Threatened Lake Areas
21. January 2021

Living Lakes, Global Nature Fund and the German NGO Forum on Environment and Development celebrate the World Wetlands Day 2021 – Wetlands and Water with the online event Threatened Lake Areas announcing the Pantanal as this years ‘Threatened Lake of the Year’. You’ll also learn about Wetland Albufera in Valencia, Spain and get an impression of the Global Lakes Marathon, an inspiring 24 hours online-Event around the globe.
Join us on February 2 at 2 p.m.Read More
Topics and Contact Persons
Biodiversity
Friedrich Wulf, pronatura
Women
Meike Spitzner, Wuppertal Institut
für Klima, Umwelt, Energie
Trade
Alessa Hartmann, PowerShift e.V.
Tobias Reichert, Germanwatch
Agriculture and Nutrition
Marek Baumeister, Aktionsgemeinschaft Solidarische Welt e.V.
Oceans
Kai Kaschinski, fair-oceans
Forests
László Maráz, Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung
Water
Durmus Ünlü, AÖW
Habitat
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