Human Rights

45 posts

Enhanced Due Diligence: A New Legal Standard for Climate Action in the Inter-American System

Advisory Opinion 32/25 (AO-32/25)  of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) marks a turning point in the interpretation of international human rights law in relation to climate change. In AO-32/25, the IACtHR recognizes that the world is facing a genuine climate emergency and affirms that this situation demands an […]

Corporations, Climate, and the Court: New Directions for Business and Human Rights in AO-32/25

Corporations, especially those engaged in fossil fuel production, agriculture, construction, and transportation, play a significant role in the climate crisis and in its human rights impacts. Holding businesses responsible for their human rights and environmental harms has been a perennial challenge that has become increasingly acute in the climate crisis. […]

Protecting Rights in the Anthropocene: How the Inter‑American Court’s Right to a Healthy Climate Pushes the Boundaries of Human Rights Law

On July 3, 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) issued its long-awaited Advisory Opinion No. 32 (AO-32/25) on the “Climate Emergency and Human Rights” (the official English translation can be found here; for an overview of the decision’s key elements, see here). A broad group of States, communities, […]

Reproductive Rights and the Climate Crisis: The Omission of the Inter-American Court in AO-32/25

On July 3, 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) published its long-awaited Advisory Opinion 32/25 (AO-32/25). The Opinion responds to a 2023 request from Colombia and Chile, asking the IACtHR to clarify the scope of States’ obligations to address the climate emergency under international human rights law. While […]

A Blueprint for Rights-Based Climate Action: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ Advisory Opinion on the Climate Emergency

A Historic Advisory Opinion On July 3, 2025, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) issued Advisory Opinion No. 32—the most important and progressive document yet released by an international court on the climate crisis. In this landmark ruling (still only available in Spanish, with official English and Portuguese translations […]

Recognition of Nature’s Rights: A Crucial Step in Peruvian Climate Litigation with a Human Rights Approach

In the recent session of Peru’s Congress, the Andean, Amazonian, Afro-Peruvian, Environmental, and Ecological Affairs Committee approved Legislative Reports  advocating for nature’s legal recognition as a rights-bearing entity. These reports establish specific legal protections to ensure nature’s existence, natural development, regeneration, restoration, and evolution. In light of this development, this […]

Guest Blog: Implementing KlimaSeniorinnen: Evaluating the Initial Swiss Response

What happens after a landmark climate case? This question has repeatedly been posed following the European Court of Human Rights’ climate rulings of 9 April 2024, and specifically its much-discussed KlimaSeniorinnen judgment. Certain initial steps – or rather, missteps – by the domestic authorities in response to the judgment have […]

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ First Resolution on the Climate Emergency: Implications for Climate Litigation

By Pedro Cisterna-Gaete and Maria Antonia Tigre In March 2022, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural and Environmental Rights (REDESCA) jointly published Resolution No. 3/21, entitled Climate Emergency: Scope of Inter-American human rights obligations. The resolution’s purpose is […]