Latest publication
Clearing the air on how we tax aviation fuel
Nov 2024: Our legal briefing debunks widespread myths about the legal obstacles to taxing international aviation fuel, showing the that decision not to tax airlines is likely a political one, rather than a legal one.
Shipping & Aviation Publications
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Clearing the air on how we tax aviation fuels
Nov 2024: Our legal briefing debunks widespread myths about the legal obstacles to taxing international aviation fuel.
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Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment
Oct 2024: Our submission about shipping’s impact on the human rights to a healthy environment.
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Sail & Rail Open Letter
June 2024: OG and other NGOs call on ferry and train companies to amend UK to Ireland Sail & Rail tickets, and stop causing extra costs to customers and the climate.
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Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change
May 2024: Opportunity Green wrote a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on climate change about how ineffective access at the ICAO and IMO limits accountability for emissions reductions.
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Climate change litigation and shipping: taking stock
March 2024: This briefing identifies more than 30 climate change cases targeting the shipping sector to date and reflects on key developments.
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Letter to UK government on Emissions Control Area
March 2024: Opportunity Green and other organisations write an open letter to the UK government to extend an ECA in UK waters.
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Submission to United Nations Resolution on Human Rights and Climate Change
Jan 2024: How taxing the aviation sector could address the impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on human rights.
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(Un)sustainable from ship to shore
Sept 2023: (Un)Sustainable from Ship to Shore reveals the extent to which the cruise industry is trying to gaslight the public into believing that fossil LNG is a climate solution when it is not.
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The Green Hydrogen Gap
Sept 2023: This report finds that all pathways to truly sustainable fuels for the shipping and aviation sectors require green hydrogen.
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Supporting submission to the ITLOS Tribunal
June 2023: We ask the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea to confirm that the law of the sea obliges countries to decarbonise international shipping.
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The IMO's legal remit on upstream fuel emissions
April 2023: How the International Maritime Organization can regulate the emissions from the full lifecycle of fuels for shipping.
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Clear Sky and Transparent Sea
Dec 2022: The International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Maritime Organization are violating international standards on transparency and citizens’ access rights.
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Response to the UK Government’s consultation on domestic maritime decarbonisation
Oct 2022: We shed light on the UK’s policy on green hydrogen and its failure to act on international shipping emissions.
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UK in Breach of Legal Obligations on International Shipping
Sept 2022:The UK has an obligation to act on greenhouse gases from the international maritime sector, outside the International Maritime Organization framework.
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Ports Playbook for Zero-Emission Shipping
Sept 2022: With the launch of the Ports For People campaign, Opportunity Green and Pacific Environment set out how ports and local communities can take ownership of their transition to a climate-friendly future.
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Local and Global Impacts, Technologies and Considerations
June 2022: International law does not provide any material restrictions on the measures the U.S. can directly implement on ships calling at its ports.
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Submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
June 2022: We responded to the OHCHRs call for input on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, in advance of MEPC 77.
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Potential for reducing aviation non-CO2 emissions
Feb 2022: In this CE Delft report, written for the Dutch Ministry of Transport and Water Management, we perform legal analysis of potential avenues for the reduction of non-CO2 aviation emissions.
Legal Publications
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Clearing the air on how we tax aviation fuels
Nov 2024: Our legal briefing debunks widespread myths about the legal obstacles to taxing international aviation fuel.
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Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to a healthy environment
Oct 2024: Our submission to theabout shipping’s impact on the human rights to a healthy environment.
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Who is responsible for international shipping and aviation pollution?
Oct 2024: Our legal briefing explains why States have a responsibility to address international shipping and aviation emissions in their nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
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EU Taxonomy court filing
Aug 2024: Our court filing against the EU Commission at the European Court of Justice for its decision to label highly polluting planes and ships ‘green’ in the Taxonomy.
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IMO Submission: Scrubbers and Air Pollution
July 2024: Opportunity Green’s legal analysis shows that the use of scrubbers on ships falls short of the requirements of MARPOL Annex VI due to harmful air pollution levels.
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Legal briefing for policymakers: ITLOS advisory opinion
June 2024: Our latest legal briefing analyses the implications of the ITLOS advisory opinion on international shipping and aviation.
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Buildings and climate litigation report
June 2024: Our latest briefing examines climate change litigation cases driving energy efficiency in residential buildings, recognising its impact both on reducing emissions and promoting social justice.
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UN submission on climate change and human rights
May 2024: In our latest legal submission, Opportunity Green responded to the Special Rapporteur on climate change’s call for inputs on access to information on climate change and human rights.
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Submission to Aotearoa New Zealand Climate Change Commission
May 2024: OG and Transport & Environment explain why international aviation and shipping must be included in Aotearoa New Zealand’s 2050 climate target.
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Submission to the International Court of Justice
March 2024: OG asks the ICJ to confirm that States must do more to address the substantive climate impacts from international aviation and shipping.
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Climate change litigation and shipping: taking stock
March 2024: This briefing identifies more than 30 climate change cases targeting the shipping sector to date and reflects on key developments.
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EU Taxonomy legal challenge
Jan 2024: Along with four other NGOs, Opportunity Green launches a legal challenge to the EU Commission's Taxonomy for sustainable activities
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UN submission on accountability in the context of human rights and climate change
Nov 2023: Submission to the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change.
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Supporting submission to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea
June 2023: We ask ITLOS to confirm that the law of the sea obliges countries to decarbonise international shipping.
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Joint paper on the necessity for national ownership of the European Green Deal
We call for robust national climate governance to foster national leadership in delivering the EU’s objectives on climate neutrality and the rule of law.
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Getting hydrogen right from the start: Legal analysis
June 2022: The European Commission’s delegated act defining additionality and geographic and temporal correlation of Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin goes beyond the authority the Commission was given.
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Requiring Oil Majors to Pay: A legal Analysis
Feb 2022: This analysis discusses whether and how the EU can pass on a carbon price to fuel suppliers rather than European households.
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Freedom to Regulate the High Seas
Feb 2022: We assess how countries can meet their obligation to reduce the climate impact of international shipping without conflicting with existing international law
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Charterer liability and the EU ETS
Dec 2021: As the European Commission proposes adding shipping to the ETS, Opportunity Green considers the division of responsibility for compliance between ship owners and charterers.