Climate Change & Energy

In the context of the global negotiations –the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30), the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) and other spaces– social movements, organizations, networks and local actors committed to habitat, housing and climate justice, raise their voices. Faced with a global crisis that is exacerbating historical inequalities, they reaffirm their capacity to organize, cooperate and self-manage, and demand effective, direct and urgent support with which to sustain and expand these responses.

The document is open for further signatures.

Policy brief

Latin American cities critically concentrate climate impacts, putting fundamental rights at risk such
as adequate housing, basic services, the public space and life itself. More than 80% of the region’s population live in urban environments marked by inequality, exclusion, sectoral policies
and institutional fragmentation. Despite often being invisible, its poorest communities are, however, leading collective and innovative actions and solutions that combine adaptation, mitigation and social justice.

Toward Stronger Alignment between APRA, Mission 300, and AGII

Policy Brief: Germany should support Africa’s green transformation through coordinated finance, tech transfer, and inclusive governance – offering strategic recommendations for climate action, equity, and shared resilience.

• Misereor, Germanwatch, REN21, Power Shift
• 2025
• pages: 9

A research report by the Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA)

The Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA) is an international alliance standing in solidarity with the Maasai of Northern Tanzania. We bring together international faith-based organisations, human rights organisations, international aid and development  organisations, as well as grassroots organisations, individual activists, researchers and lawyers representing the Maasai in several land cases. Our alliance includes, among others, the Africa Europe Faith Justice Network (AEFJN), Agrecol Association for AgriCulture & Ecology, Coalition of European Lobbies for Eastern African Pastoralism (CELEP), Center for Agroecology, Water and Resilience (CAWR) at Coventry University (UK), CIDSE - International family of Catholic social justice organisations (International), Indigenous Movement for Peace Advancement and Conflict Transformation (IMPACT), FIAN International, FINAL GOVERNANCE, KOO (Koordinierungsstelle der Österreichischen Bischofskonferenz - Coordinating Office of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference), Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (Society for Threatened Peoples), IDINGO - Integrated Development Initiatives in Ngorongoro, Misereor, PALISEP, PINGO’s Forum (Pastoralists Indigenous Non-Governmental Organisations), PWC (Pastoral Women’s Council), TEST (Traditional Ecosystems Survival Tanzania), UCRT (Ujamaa Community Resource Team) and Welthaus Graz. Our main objective is to put an end to the human rights violations facing the Maasai of Northern Tanzania.

Publication

Despite adaptation efforts, climate-induced disasters are increasingly affecting vulnerable urban communities. Using case studies from Sao Paulo (Brazil), Nairobi (Kenya) and Jakarta (Indonesia), the research summary commissioned by Misereor and conducted by UNU-EHS and MCII analyses how vulnerability, exposure and climate-related hazards cause economic and non-economic losses and damages in urban informal settlements. It identifies strategies to avert, minimise and address losses and damages, and how financing mechanisms should be designed to ensure adequate support for the most climate-vulnerable urban communities.

• Publisher: Misereor
• Publication date: October 2024
• Number of pages: 137

Publication

Fossil fuel extraction fans the flames of the climate crisis and hinders development in African countries
This dossier emphasises a forward-looking perspective through African voices, advocating for an African future where development is decoupled from fossil fuels, where sustainable energy drives prosperity and Africa’s well-being, and where the continent takes its rightful place in the global dialogue on climate, energy and development.

• Publisher: Misereor
• Publication date: June 2024
• Pages: 42

Publication

In the fight against climate change and the destruction of the environment, the idea of the rights of nature is increasingly gaining prominence, especially in countries of the so-called Global South. The Misereor discussion paper presents fundamental aspects and developments of the approach and places it in the context of the socio-ecological transformation.

• Publication date: April 2023
• Publisher: Misereor
• 12 pages

Publication

The publication aims to show how the right to adequate housing and related rights are threatened by climate change, increasing urbanization and environmental degradation, by highlighting ground-level experiences from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It aims to encourage an integrated approach to policy-making and to present examples of community-led tools and solutions from five countries: Cameroon, El Salvador, Nigeria, Peru and the Philippines. The report concludes with recommendations to national governments, local governments and the UN human rights mechanisms.

The full report is available in English. You can find the summary of the report in German, Spanish and French.

The publication aims to show how the right to adequate housing and related rights are threatened by climate change, increasing urbanization and environmental degradation, by highlighting ground-level experiences from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It aims to encourage an integrated approach to policy-making and to present examples of community-led tools and solutions from five countries: Cameroon, El Salvador, Nigeria, Peru and the Philippines.

Policy Document

The world population is growing. More and more people need housing and infrastructure for a good life. New settlements and rappidly growing cities further increase this need. At present about 3.5 billion people live in cities. The United Nations predicts that by 2050 this figure will rise to about six billion. The informal settlements that currently house almost one billion people could thus acquire an additional one to two billion inhabitants. Cities in Asia and Africa are expected to experience the biggest increase.

The document can also be ordered by e-mail at:
Silvia.Cottin@misereor.de

Publication

Guiding Principles and Recommendation for climate policies in regards to agriculture. CIDSE (2012).

Paper

To attain the goal of limiting global warming to below 2°C in order to protect those living in poverty from the severe impacts of climate change, sustainable and climate-friendly development in all economic sectors is essential. In the run-up to Rio+20, the Environment Programme (UNEP) has identified agriculture as a sector vital to the process of transformation from “brown” to “green” economies.

Workshop Documentation

Misereor Position Paper on the Mechanism Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD +).