GENEVA - States must urgently phase out fossil fuels, in accordance with their international human rights obligations, a UN expert told the Human Rights Council today.
"Fossil fuels are not only the main cause of climate change, but also at the core of the planetary crises of biodiversity loss, toxic pollution and economic inequalities," said Elisa Morgera, the UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights, presenting her latest report to the Council.
"Fossil fuels have tremendous and wide scale human rights impacts, across generations and sectors, with the most vulnerable bearing the brunt," Morgera said.
"After having experienced the 10 hottest years in recorded history and having crossed the 1.5C global average temperature limit in 2024, humanity can still change course towards a safer climate. But States need to prioritise actions that have the highest, scientifically proven capacity to protect the human rights of present and future generations," the expert said.
Morgera said that despite the recognition of the need for a fossil fuel phaseout in the international climate change regime and the Pact for the Future and despite the significant progress made in decarbonising the energy sector, fossil fuels extraction and use was still increasing.
"Defossilisation of our whole economies is urgent from a human rights perspective and truly the single most impactful health contribution. It entails prioritising the phase out of fossil fuels, including various forms of financing them, within and beyond the energy sector," the expert said.
Morgera said the fossil fuel industry had a long-standing knowledge of the expected devastating impacts of climate change and resorted to evolving strategies to keep this information hidden from the public, including through corporate capture and attacks against climate scientists and defenders.
These strategies are yet another layer of human rights violations that have prevented effective human rights protection from climate change impacts for at least six decades, she said.
"Fossil fuel companies have benefited and continue to benefit from substantial profits, sizeable subsidies, tax avoidance and undue protection under international investment law, without reducing energy poverty and economic inequalities," the Special Rapporteur said.
Morgera said that countries responsible for regulating companies-especially those that have historically and currently contributed the most to climate damage-have a duty to ensure effective remedies are available both within their own borders and in the countries that are suffering the most from climate change, despite contributing the least to it.
"States have human rights obligations to cooperate internationally to address defossilisation in ongoing negotiations on climate change, tax justice, plastics pollution, and business responsibility to respect human rights," she said.
