2023-11-13 11:45:07
Demonstration in Manila against climate change © DANTE DIOSINA JR/AFP via Getty Images
“An agreement at the COP28 summit to end the production and use of fossil fuels is vital to avoid a global climate catastrophe and prevent an unprecedented human rights crisis from worsening. that threatens the rights of billions of people,” Amnesty International said today.
In the report titled Lethal fuelsAmnesty International is calling on parties at COP28, which begins later this month (November 30 to December 12), to agree on an ecomplete, equitable, rapid and financed elimination of fossil fuels, and a transition to renewable energy compatible with human rights and facilitating access to energy for everyone.
“For decades, the fossil fuel industry has been spreading misinformation about the climate crisis. The truth is that fossil fuels are endangering our future, wreaking havoc on the global climate and generating a human rights crisis of unprecedented magnitude,” said Candy Ofime, legal advisor on climate justice at Amnesty International.
“If new fossil fuel projects go ahead, we will fail to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and avoid catastrophic climate damage. COP28 is the occasion for states to agree to move beyond fossil fuels and leave behind their shameful record of climate damage and human rights abuses.
“The fossil fuel sector generates enormous wealth for relatively few business actors and states, which have a vested interest in blocking a just transition to renewable energy, and in silencing those who oppose them. “Such efforts jeopardize the right of all people to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.”
“Fossil fuels are finite, and trying to extract every last drop of oil, last cubic meter of natural gas, or last ton of coal prolongs or aggravates the enormous damage they have already caused. Alternatives are available and renewable energy production is growing rapidly, but much greater investment is needed. COP28 must establish a fast and equitable path to a sustainable future without fossil fuels.”
Fossil fuels and an unprecedented human rights crisis
The extraction and burning of fossil fuels and the resulting accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide, are the main cause of global warming, which is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as storms, droughts and floods.
This situation is causing loss of life; damage to property and infrastructure, destruction of livelihoods, disruption of ecosystems and declines in biodiversity, failed harvests and food shortages, intensified competition for resources, and conflict and population displacement, all related to a wide variety of of human rights abuses.
Air pollution directly related to the burning of fossil fuels contributed to the deaths of 1.2 million people in 2020. Communities living near fossil fuel exploitation facilities are often directly harmed by pollutants known to cause They cause respiratory diseases, harmful consequences for pregnancy, cardiovascular conditions and certain types of cancer. Coal mining and hydraulic fracturing generate toxic waste that contaminates water sources. Gas flaring releases toxic air pollutants. It is common for people who live in “sacrifice zones”, more exposed to these harms, to suffer combined forms of discrimination.
The exploration, production and transportation of fossil fuels often leads to devastating pollution and environmental degradation. Amnesty International has for decades documented oil spills and the resulting harm suffered by communities in the Niger Delta, where Shell and other companies have undermined their human rights to an adequate standard of living, clean water and health, and denied them redress. effective.
Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected because the majority of the planet’s remaining fossil fuel resources are found under their ancestral lands, and the companies that exploit them frequently violate the rights of these communities to information, public participation and free, prior and informed consent. For example, Amnesty International has shown that Adivasi communities affected by coal mining in India are rarely adequately consulted before their lands are acquired, their ecosystems decimated, and their livelihoods endangered.
The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment was recognized by the UN Human Rights Council in 2021 and the UN General Assembly in 2022, and is enshrined in the national constitutions of more than 100 countries. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights explicitly recognize that businesses have a responsibility to “do no harm.”
Environmental rights advocates, including those opposed to the production and use of fossil fuels, have been increasingly attacked and even killed violently for their advocacy work in recent years. Some companies in the fossil fuel sector have sought to silence climate defenders through the use of “strategic lawsuits against public participation” (SLAPP).
Fossil fuel companies have funded advisory groups to draft and propose legislation to repress or criminalize climate and environmental activists. Amnesty International campaigns to protect the right to protest and the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Many companies in the fossil fuel sector try to influence public opinion through “greenwashing” and misinformation, evade regulation by attracting support from legislators and regulators, and influence multilateral forums such as COPs, which can delaying the actions of States when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. COP28 is chaired by Sultan al Jaber, CEO of the United Arab Emirates state oil company, posing a clear conflict of interest.
Resources and energy transition
The Lethal Fuels report recommends that all currently untapped fossil fuel resources remain underground forever. Industrialized countries and other G20 countries that are large emitters of greenhouse gases, as well as high-income states that produce fossil fuels, must quickly take the lead in stopping the expansion of oil, gas and coal production. . Other countries must then follow their example. In addition, the extraction of fossil fuels for non-energy purposes, for example for the manufacture of plastics, must be significantly reduced.
The huge subsidies that States spend to support the use and production of fossil fuels must end through a process that ensures that adequate social protections are in place to protect the poorest and most marginalized people.
Energy and fossil fuel companies cannot be allowed to rely on unproven technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, often promoted by their lobbyists, to delay change. They must refrain from putting pressure on legislators, and from resorting to “greenwashing”, because they make it even more difficult for citizens to access accurate information on climate science.
Financial institutions must stop investing in new activities that fuel the expansion of fossil fuels, and phase out existing financing in a timeframe that is in line with the internationally agreed target to keep global warming below 1.5°C this century .
Developed countries, historically the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, must fulfill their commitments to provide adequate climate finance to developing countries to achieve a phased, equitable and human rights-compatible phase-out of fossil fuel production worldwide. world, facilitating a just transition to renewable energy sources.
General information
The COP28 climate summit takes place from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, one of the world’s largest producers of oil and gas. The Secretary General of Amnesty International, Agnès Callamard, will attend from December 1 to 6.
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