Introduction
In Post 64 we asked our Country Managers to describe a best practice example from their countries that began with an effort to advocate for a policy change and resulted in a change in government policy.
The effort needed to have certain characteristics such as a focus on a climate related problem that could be documented, a measurable goal that could be defined in terms of a concrete policy, and an organization that advocated for the policy. The organization could be a community group, an NGO, an industry association, or even a branch of government seeking to influence another branch.
The description needed to include a summary of the strategy and process that the organization(s) went through in order achieve their climate goal, a description of the organization that adopted the policy, and what made the campaign so successful.
Table 1 below highlights the campaigns described in Post 64. Full Country Reports follow.
Table: A List of the Country advocacy Campaigns Covered in Post 64
| Country | Advocacy Campaign |
| Australia |
|
| Brazil |
|
| Canada |
|
| China |
|
| European Union |
|
| France |
|
| Germany |
|
| India |
|
| Indonesia |
|
| Mexico |
|
| Nigeria |
|
| Saudi Arabia |
|
| South Africa |
|
| Turkey |
|
| United Kingdom |
|
| United States |
|
Country Reports
Australia’s Climate Emergency Declaration Campaign
On December 5th, 2016, the City of Darebin, a local government in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, made history by becoming the first representative organization to declare a climate emergency. This bold move paved the way for an unprecedented wave of action across Australia, with 104 local governments following suit and declaring a climate emergency. These declarations…
Climate Observatory Produces a Decisive Document that Can Help Brazil Become Negative in its Emissions in 2045
The idea of forming a coalition of Brazilian civil society organizations to discuss climate change came up in 2001 in Salinópolis, on the coast of Pará, during a dinner. It was a break from an annual meeting of the USAID (the US government’s cooperation agency), and four environmentalists taking part in the meeting took advantage…
The Green Party’s Successful Campaigns for Climate Legislation in Canada
Over the last decade, Canada’s Green Party has supported important legislation for Canada’s action on climate change. For example, in 2015, amendments to Bill C-46, the Pipelines Safety Act, were accepted, including ‘aboriginal governing bodies reimbursement for actions in relation to a spill’ and the concept of polluter pays. The Green Party was part of…
NGO ClientEarth Supports Improved Climate Jurisprudence Work of China’s Supreme People’s Court
China’s legal institutions have increasingly had to deal with cases related to environmental issues over the past decade. In 2020 alone, Chinese prosecutors had to handle some 80,000 environmental public interest cases. Early environmental law first governed air and water pollution, industrial discharge, or agricultural soil contamination. Issues related to climate change have started to…
P2Green Project: An Innovative Solution to Water Pollution and the Limited Efficacy of Conventional Fertilizers
P2Green is a project awarded a contract and funding by the EU’s Horizon Europe initiative. It is working to develop, test, and adapt sanitary waste to produce safe, bio-based fertilizers for agriculture. The project began on December 1, 2022, and will end on November 30, 2026. 32 European organizations are driving the implementation of the…
France’s Case of the Century
On December 18, 2018, the Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme (Foundation for Nature and Mankind), Notre Affaire à Tous (“An affair that concerns all of us”), Greenpeace France, and Oxfam France launched a climate justice campaign calling upon the French government to repair the ecological damage resulting from their climate inaction. The suit followed an…
Germany’s Citizens Climate Lobby Changed the Course of German Environmental Policy
As the world faces the impending threat of climate change, it is paramount to study successful examples of policy change to inspire and replicate the same worldwide. An excellent case study is Germany’s Citizens Climate Lobby (CCL), an organisation that has transformed the policy landscape through its dedicated environmental advocacy. This article will take a…
The Energy Research Institute (TERI) Influences National Climate Policy in India
Since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (also known as the Stockholm Conference) was held in Stockholm in 1972 and attended by the then-Indian Prime Minister, among other heads of state, India has pursued concerns relating to environmental and climate issues. The climate agenda further gained momentum and strength with the active involvement…
Indonesia’s ProKlim Project Supports its NDC Commitments by Coordinating National Climate-Related Targets With Local-Level Actions
Program Overview Through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, the Government of Indonesia initiated a program in 2012 termed ‘The Kampung Iklim (Climate Village) Programme’ (ProKlim). The goal of the program is to address the climate vulnerability of the local communities by helping them to adapt and mitigate its effects. The program promotes a low-carbon…
Mexico’s Emissions Reduction Initiative
This post describes a best practice example from Mexico that begins with an effort to advocate for a policy change, resulting in a shift in government policy. Also, this post will describe climate-related actions with a goal fined in terms of the policy.The Alianza México REDD+ (Mexico REDD+ Alliance) is an initiative formed by the…
The Women Environmental Programme Helps Communities Better Manage Drainage to Adapt to Climate Change
The route from advocacy to policy best practice may be both difficult and gratifying in the complicated tapestry of government, where ideals and objectives intertwine with the complexity of the real world. It is a revolutionary route that can remodel societies, uplift communities, and effect real change. Advocates can transcend the realms of mere rhetoric…
The Saudi Green Initiative
The Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) is an ambitious environmental policy launched by Saudi Arabia to achieve a greener future and enhance the quality of life. It brings together government ministries, private sector entities, and foreign leaders under dual green initiatives to identify and deliver opportunities for rapid climate action. The initiative integrates environmental protection, energy…
South African Government Uses Widespread Consultative Process to Develop a National Climate Change Policy
The national climate change policy of South Africa was developed as a result of a collaboration between researchers and policymakers. The beginning of the climate change response policy development process started at the 2005 National Climate Change and Science Conference. About 600 government, business, science, academic and civil society representatives gathered at the conference and…
Turkey’s Efforts to Combat and Prevent Forest Fires
Disasters have been defined by United Nations (UN) as natural events that disrupt the socio-economic and socio-cultural activities of the community significantly, causing life and material losses that “cannot be coped with local capabilities.” Turkey has been facing several major “Natural Disasters” in recent years. The most recent disaster was two consecutive earthquakes within 24…
Climate Earth’s Campaign to Get the UK Government to Improve its Net Zero Strategy
The Climate Change Act commits the UK government by law to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 100% of 1990 levels (net zero) by 2050. Under the Net Zero strategy, published in October 2021, the UK government committed to banning the sale of new petrol vehicles by 2030 and gas boilers by 2035; however,…
Natural Resources Defense Council’s Efforts to Phase Out Hydrofluorocarbons Gets Results with Congress
There have been recent advances in climate legislation in the United States. This has required the support of a wide range of public and private partnerships to advocate for more progressive policies. The time it often takes for advocacy to reach policy change is on the scale of years or more, which makes it difficult…