The Australian Human Rights Commission is calling for urgent action from government and business to address the escalating impacts of climate change on Australians’ human rights.
Launching its first major report on climate change, Human rights on a warming Earth, Commission President Hugh de Kretser said, ‘The evidence on the extreme threat to humans posed by climate change is clear. By focussing on the human rights impact, we can focus on the action governments and business must take to protect current and future Australians.
‘People’s rights to life, health, housing, food and water are not luxuries. They are legal obligations that Australia has committed to uphold under international law. In the face of climate change, these rights are increasingly under threat.’
The report outlines recommendations to government and industry, including:
- urgently phasing out fossil fuels
- ending subsidies for fossil fuel companies, and
- supporting workers affected by the transition to renewables.
President de Kretser emphasised the need for a more rapid shift away from fossil fuels, guided by human rights principles.
‘Australian governments and businesses must act with greater urgency to protect our human rights from climate change. Central to this is cutting fossil fuel pollution and speeding up the transition to renewable energy.
‘The International Court of Justice in its recent landmark decision confirmed that nations have a legal duty to prevent significant harm to the climate system and could be liable for harm caused by continued fossil fuel production, consumption and subsidisation.’
The report also recommends that the Australian Government establish an Australian Human Rights Act.
‘We need to protect Australians’ human rights in law through a Human Rights Act. This is what the Australian Parliament’s human rights committee recommended last year.
‘A Human Rights Act would help to guide governments to make the right decisions on climate change. It would help to ensure the transition to renewables is just and fair. It would help to better plan, adapt and respond to more frequent and severe disasters,’ President de Kretser said.
The report highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change on certain groups in Australia.
‘Climate change will not affect people equally. Those who are already disadvantaged are more vulnerable to harm. People living in poverty, older people, people with a disability, First Peoples, children and rural communities will be hit harder.
‘The pace at which we act will determine how dangerous the future is. If we want to protect our quality of life, we must address climate change with greater urgency,’ President de Kretser said.
