Climate Justice: Carbon Majors Put on Notice in the Philippines

ELAW partner Zelda Soriano at Greenpeace writes with good news:

“For the first time ever, a national human rights body has ordered the world’s largest fossil fuel companies to respond to allegations that they have contributed to human rights abuses in the Philippines.“

Zelda is Legal & Political Advisor for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

She explains:

“Last year, disaster survivors, community-based organizations, and individual Filipino citizens, side-by-side with Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), filed a petition with the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines asking for an investigation into 47 industrial carbon producers for putting their fundamental human rights at risk from climate change.

The Commission heeded the petitioners’ call to investigate these wrongs, and the probe is now at a critical juncture.  On July 27, the Commission sent an order to the companies, enjoining them to submit responses to the allegations.“

The 47 companies ordered to respond include Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, BHP Billiton, Glencore, Suncor, and ConocoPhillips.

“The investigation is the latest in a growing tide of climate liability cases being brought against governments and corporations,” writes John Vidal in The Guardian.  “We are thrilled to hear that the case before the Philippines Human Rights Commission is moving forward,” says ELAW attorney Pedro León Gutiérrez.

“Holding corporations accountable for their contributions to climate change is crucial to remedy a grave injustice.”

ELAW is working with partners in the Philippines, Pakistan, and around the world to hold corporations accountable for damaging the climate.  Together with our global network of advocates, we have evaluated the best prospects for successful climate litigation and published our findings.

For more information about ELAW’s work to protect the climate, contact:

Maggie Keenan
Communications Director
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide
maggie@elaw.org
(541) 687-8454 ext.  106

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