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Latin America’s Top Human Rights Court Says States Have Legal Obligation on Climate Action
COLOMBIA, JUL 3 – The court mandates states to regulate emissions, protect vulnerable groups, and hold corporations accountable, with environmental defenders killed at a rate of three per week, Global Witness reported.
- A regional human rights tribunal for the Americas issued a groundbreaking advisory opinion on Thursday, affirming that countries are legally required to address the climate crisis under their human rights commitments.
- This advisory opinion follows a 2023 request by Colombia and Chile and comes after extensive public hearings with broad civil society participation.
- The seven-judge panel identified the climate situation as an emergency grounded in current scientific understanding and stressed that states have obligations to respect rights, prevent environmental harm, work collaboratively, regulate corporate emissions, and safeguard groups most vulnerable to climate impacts.
- The court emphasized that countries are obligated to take all necessary actions to mitigate climate risks and affirmed an independent right for individuals and communities to enjoy a healthy climate as part of their right to a healthy environment.
- The opinion sets binding regional standards likely to prompt legal reforms, increase responsibilities for businesses, support Indigenous and civil society efforts, and shape future climate litigation worldwide.
95 Articles
95 Articles
Inter-American Court Says Countries Must Prevent Climate Harms
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued an opinion on July 3, 2025, that countries must protect the climate system as part of their human rights obligations under the American Convention on Human Rights and other human rights law.
UN rights commissioner welcomes Inter-American Court advisory opinion on climate crisis
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday praised the recent advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) as a “landmark step forward,” urging states to take meaningful action through legislation, policymaking, and international cooperation. The IACHR released Advisory Opinion 32/25 on Thursday, which addressed signatory states’ human rights obligations under the American Convention on Hu…
Colombia Hails IACHR Ruling Recognizing 'The Right to A Healthy Climate' - teleSUR English
States must safeguard the global climate system and prevent human rights violations resulting from its disruption. On Friday, Colombia called a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) a “global milestone” for recognizing, for the first time, the human right to a healthy climate and the obligation of states to act on the climate crisis. RELATED: Europe’s Heatwaves and Drought Are Demanding Urgent Global Climate Action “A histor…
The advisory opinion delivered on Thursday by the continent's highest judicial body was hailed as "historical" by organizations, as it could influence climate policies and the resolution of environmental disputes.
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