This report was written to raise awareness of the connection between climate change and human rights and to outline the critical importance of addressing climate change to protect people’s rights in Australia. Climate change directly threatens human rights to life, health, a healthy environment, housing, food, water and work. The message of the report is clear: if we want to protect our quality of life, we must address climate change with greater urgency. The report makes seven recommendations to the Australian Government and businesses. 

The report outlines:

• the human rights affected by climate change
• Australia’s human rights and climate change obligations
• Australia’s legislative framework
• climate legal action
• the role of national human rights institutions.

Key recommendations

• Australian Government to adopt and enforce laws to phase out fossil fuels, prohibit new fossil fuel projects and strictly regulate the import and export of fossil fuels.
• Australian Government to end fossil fuel subsidies.
• Australian Government to undertake stringent due diligence to identify and assess serious climate and human rights risks enact a national Human Rights Act.
• Businesses should reduce emissions across operations and supply chains and disclose climate risks.
• Fossil fuel companies should urgently plan to phase out operations, fund worker retraining and site closure and clean-up.