Amnesty International called on world leaders Monday to adopt a comprehensive plan for transitioning away from fossil fuels and to take urgent measures to address climate change and its devastating impacts on human rights ahead of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference COP 30.
Amnesty stressed that human activity and the continued use of fossil fuels exacerbate the climate crisis, leading to increasing threats to livelihoods and a decline in human rights for many communities experiencing severe climate-related disasters.
The organization also released a document detailing the threats climate change poses to human rights globally and presenting a set of recommendations aimed at achieving climate justice.
According to Amnesty’s Climate Justice Advisor, Ann Harrison, governments worldwide remain under the influence of fossil fuel companies and continue to provide them with subsidies while these companies downplay environmental harms and expand their operations:
The devastating new human rights harms resulting from climate change will escalate dramatically unless global heating is kept in check. More people will be driven deeper into poverty, lose their homes, or suffer from the effects of droughts and food insecurity.
To address climate change and protect human rights, Amnesty proposed an action plan focused on three areas: protecting human rights defenders, providing adequate climate finance, and ending fossil fuel dependence.
The organization highlighted that environmental human rights defenders from marginalized communities who suffer the most from climate change, such as indigenous people and local farmers, face harassment and intimidation from authorities for defending their lands and the right to a healthy environment. Advocates emphasized that environmental and human rights activists from these communities should be included in high-level discussions and that their knowledge must be incorporated in climate policies.
Additionally, the rights group criticized current climate finance policies for being inadequate, as high-income countries, which contribute the most to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, provide the least funding to low-income countries to help them address climate change and seek reparations for environmental damages. Harrison noted that taxing those who contribute the most to climate change and ending global tax abuses could raise over $3 trillion for climate adaptation projects and compensation for affected communities.
Finally, Amnesty implored world governments to adopt a fossil fuel phase-out through just transitions in all sectors that rely on accurate technologies designed to effectively reduce GHG emissions.
Climate change has generated increased international concern in recent years. In 2024, the world’s average global temperature exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time. This increase heightens the risk of extreme weather events, such as floods, heatwaves, and forest fires.
In May, the UN warned of the growing risk of global glacier loss due to high temperatures and urged nations to adhere to the Paris Agreement‘s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. The increasing frequency of environmental disasters, exacerbated by climate change, threatens access to food and water, endangers civilian lives, and contributes to the displacement of communities seeking safer regions.
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