Event Conference
Fossil Fuel-Based Economy and Human Rights: State Obligations to Protect and Preserve the Environment | HRC59 Side Event
02 Jul 2025
14:00 – 15:00
Venue: Palais des Nations | Room XXV
Organization: Center for International Environmental Law
This side event to the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council aims to provide the opportunity to identify the multifaceted impacts of the fossil fuel industry on human rights. It will delve into States’ obligations with regard to an effective phase-out of fossil fuels, and discuss what more the Human Rights Council, Special Procedures, and other human rights mechanisms can do to address this issue
About the Event
Fossil fuels are the root cause of the triple planetary crisis – climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, as the 2023 Joint Statement by six Special Procedures warned. The fossil fuel industry has significant impacts on a broad spectrum of human rights. Economic, social, and cultural rights are adversely affected by the pollution and climate disruption associated with fossil fuel activities throughout their extraction, processing, transport and use — including conversion into energy, plastics, or agrochemicals. Civil and political rights are also undermined, as evidenced by instances of criminalization, repression, and reprisals against individuals and communities protesting fossil fuel extraction projects. States have human rights obligations to phase out fossil fuels, prevent human rights harms, including extraterritorially, and effectively regulate private actors.
A growing number of human rights institutions and mechanisms are looking at the impacts of human rights across the fossil fuel supply-chain, providing clarity about States’ obligations to effectively transition away from a fossilized economy. The Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council recalled that “the main way for States to be human rights compliant is to rapidly phase out fossil fuels through viable, scientifically proven technologies and approaches.” Many Human Rights Treaty Bodies have been addressing and unpacking States’ human rights obligations with regard to oil, gas and coal. The upcoming advisory opinions by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights and the International Court of Justice will clarify, under multiple sources of international law, States’ obligations with regard to climate change.
The latest report by the Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change, The imperative of defossilizing our economies (A/HRC/59/42), provides important findings on the multiple ways in which the fossil fuel industry undermines human rights, and the corresponding obligations upon States.
The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT) recognizes the urgent need for action and provides a dedicated mechanism for international cooperation to phaseout fossil fuels. Undertaking a just transition away from fossil fuels and maintaining the Paris Agreement temperature goal requires States to take all necessary measures to defossilize economies and respect, protect and promote the human rights to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
This side event will provide the opportunity to identify the multifaceted impacts of the fossil fuel industry on human rights. Panelists will delve into States’ obligations with regard to an effective phase-out of fossil fuels, and discuss what more the Human Rights Council, Special Procedures, and other human rights mechanisms can do to address this issue. It will complement the side event organized by the Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change on the same day, at 12:00 CEST (Room XXIV), which will focus on international cooperation.
Environment @ HRC59
The 59th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC59) will take place in Geneva from 16 June to 9 July 2025. Consult this regularly-updated page that highlighted the environmental-related activities of this session.
Speakers
Elisa MORGERA
UN Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights
H.E. Amb. Doreen DEBRUM
Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
Ralph REGENVANU
Minister of Climate Change, Vanuatu | Video Statement
Gillian COOPER
Political Director, The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative
Francesca MINGRONE
Senior Attorney, Climate & Energy Program, Center for International Environmental Law | Moderator