“CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE BIGGEST THREAT TO HUMAN RIGHTS YET” – UN COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS MICHELE BACHELET
… and that’s the reason why we are working on one of the most important issues of the 21st century as part of the thematic coordination group “Climate Crisis and Human Rights”.
Combating human rights violations caused by environmental degradation and climate change has long been an issue for Amnesty. We stand up for environmental activists who are persecuted for their activism. We also fight for indigenous peoples whose livelihoods are being destroyed. We support legal proceedings against companies such as Shell in the Niger Delta, which exploit natural resources without regard for human rights. In 2015, Amnesty campaigned for a reference to human rights to be included in the Paris Climate Agreement.
The consequences of the climate crisis for human rights are devastating and time is of the essence. Amnesty will therefore step up its work on climate protection. Together with many other civil society organisations and activists, we must urge our governments to act quickly. We need to protect people who are fighting the climate crisis and motivate as many people as possible to take action. Because to protect people, we must protect the climate!
What is Amnesty International calling for ?
- Governments should immediately step up their climate protection measures.
- States and companies should abandon fossil fuels such as coal and oil as soon as possible and switch to human rights-compliant clean energy.
- Climate action does not come at the expense of human rights. Governments organise a just transition and leave no one behind.
- More people, especially from the human rights movement, are committed to climate action.
- Human rights defenders and particularly affected population groups have the opportunity to campaign against climate change and participate in decision-making.
- Amnesty and the human rights movement are stepping up their work against environmental destruction.