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UN Climate Expert Urges Criminalization of Fossil Fuel Disinformation to Protect Basic Human Rights

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03 Jul, 2025

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights Elisa Morgera on Monday presented a new report to the General Assembly calling for the criminalization of spreading disinformation regarding the climate crisis, as well as a complete ban on fossil fuel lobbying and advertising by the industry.

In The imperative of defossilizing our economies report, Morgera argues that the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and other rich fossil fuel countries are legally bound by international law to phase out gas, oil and coal by the end of the decade, in addition to compensating communities for the harms caused.

🧵1/ TODAY – UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change Elisa Morgera presented a historic report to the Human Rights Council: The Imperative of Defossilizing Our Economies: bit.ly/3Gl0xuG

CIEL welcomes this urgent call to end #FossilFuels.

Our press statement: 👉 bit.ly/448p8fn

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— Center for International Environmental Law (@ciel.org) June 30, 2025 at 10:43 AM

“There is no scientific doubt that fossil fuels (coal, gas and oil) are the main cause of climate change, and the main driver of other planetary crises – biodiversity loss, toxic pollution, inequalities and mass human rights violations. Several United Nations mechanisms have already identified an international human rights obligation to phase out fossil fuels and related subsidies,” the report says.

Morgera, a global environmental law professor at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, argues that fossil fuel exploration, investments and subsidies should all be banned, along with gas flaring, fracking, oil sands and “false tech solutions.”

A protest against “clean coal” outside the Victorian Parliament House in Melbourne, Australia on Dec. 10, 2013. John Englart / Flickr

“Despite overwhelming evidence of the interlinked, intergenerational, severe and widespread human rights impacts of the fossil fuel life cycle… these countries have and are still accruing enormous profits from fossil fuels, and are still not taking decisive action,” Morgera said, as The Guardian reported.

Indigenous Peoples, island nations and other vulnerable communities are facing the most serious and compounding harms from the extraction and use of fossil fuels and the climate crisis, while benefiting the least.

The report highlights overwhelming evidence of the far-reaching, cumulative damage wrought by big oil and fossil fuel byproducts like plastics and fertilizers on nearly all human rights, including the right to life, health, food, water, housing, education, livelihoods, information and self-determination.

“Despite these legal clarifications, and the recognition of the need for a fossil fuel phaseout in the international climate change regime and the Pact for the Future, fossil fuel extraction and use are projected to increase. This is despite the significant progress made in decarbonizing the energy sector: in 2023, renewables provided 30 per cent of global electricity supply, and scientific evidence points to the feasibility of a 100 per cent global reliance on renewable energy, including leapfrogging opportunities for developing countries and for workers,” the report says.

Morgera says the “defossilization” of entire economies is necessary to address the universal and escalating harms caused by fossil fuels in all sectors, including finance, food, tech, politics and media.

Morgera said international human rights law requires nations to inform citizens of the harm fossil fuels cause, and that the best way to tackle the climate crisis is to phase them out.

People are also entitled to know that the fossil fuel industry, its partners and supporters have been obstructing the knowledge of its culpability for six decades by disseminating falsehoods while interfering with meaningful climate action by attacking activists and climate scientists and taking over democratic gatherings like the UN climate conventions.

An Extinction Rebellion advert at a bus stop near the News UK headquarters protests against control of the UK media by just four billionaires, at London Bridge in London, England on June 27, 2021. Hollie Adams / Getty Images

“Extensive research has documented the fossil fuel sector’s evolving strategies to keep the public uninformed about the severity of climate change and about the role of fossil fuels in causing it (‘the playbook’). This has undermined the protection of all human rights that are negatively impacted by climate change for over six decades,” the report said.

Morgera said lobbying and fossil fuel advertising must be banned, greenwashing must be criminalized and penalties for attacking climate advocates must be enforced.

Threats of drought, desertification, sea-level rise, flooding and other impacts related to the climate crisis are increasingly impacting communities around the world. This is in addition to water scarcity, air pollution, forced displacement of Indigenous Peoples and biodiversity loss.

At the same time, the fossil fuel industry and petrochemical companies have seen huge profits while benefiting from tax avoidance schemes, taxpayer subsidies and receiving undue protection by way of international investment law while refusing to address economic inequalities and reduce energy poverty.

According to the report, oil and gas companies in 2023 earned $2.4 trillion in profits worldwide and coal companies made $2.5 trillion.

Getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies alone would lower emissions by as much as 10 percent by 2030.

Morgera said land that has been unjustly appropriated for use by fossil fuel companies should be remediated, cleaned up and returned to its rightful owners if they so desire, or they should receive fair compensation.

“Indigenous Peoples, people of African descent and peasants have faced evictions and displacement without adequate compensation, violence, and legal intimidation, with access restrictions and environmental degradation of their territories by fossil fuel operations, terminating alternative livelihoods, for instance in adjacent grazing areas. Decommissioning and site reclamation (dismantling and removing fossil-fuel extraction, processing and storage infrastructure) can leave residual pollutants in the soil and water, hindering the restoration of ecosystems, agricultural productivity and water safety for human consumption for generations,” Morgera said in the report.

The report presents the human rights argument for decisive political action to reduce the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, reported The Guardian. Morgera’s recommendations prioritize people’s basic rights over the benefits and profits reaped by a small minority of the world’s population.

“Paradoxically what may seem radical or unrealistic – a transition to a renewable energy-based economy – is now cheaper and safer for our economics and a healthier option for our societies,” Morgera told The Guardian. “The transition can also lead to significant savings of taxpayers’ money that is currently going into responding to climate change impacts, saving health costs, and also recouping lost tax revenue from fossil fuel companies. This could be the single most impactful health contribution we could ever make. The transition seems radical and unrealistic because fossil fuel companies have been so good at making it seem so.”

The post UN Climate Expert Urges Criminalization of Fossil Fuel Disinformation to Protect Basic Human Rights appeared first on EcoWatch.

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The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has launched an online tool designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) maximise the benefits of incorporating sustainability into their strategy and business operations, in collaboration with the Edinburgh Group (EG).

Developed for IFAC and EG to provide to their members, The Small Business Sustainability Checklist is an interactive tool that provides practical steps to future-proof businesses and boost sustainability practices. It is designed to be tailored by each business according to its industry sector, lifecycle, products and services.

The online resource uses a simple self-assessment approach to score users’ sustainability initiatives across environmental factors, social responsibility and governance. It also helps users identify risks and opportunities, which can inform a roadmap for improvement.

Lee White, IFAC Chief Executive Officer, said, “This checklist is a practical tool to help small businesses benchmark and track their sustainability efforts, providing the resources and guidance to help them take the first step or make progress from what they’re currently doing.”

The Small Business Sustainability Checklist is suitable for small and medium-sized practices looking to support their clients to tackle sustainability-related risks and unlock opportunities. This tool features specific questions, and at the end, the practice will receive a score based on three progress stages: Limited, Underway and Maturing.

“This is all about building sustainable futures for both accounting practices and their clients, to face the global standards of today and tomorrow,” White said.

CA Rajendra Kumar P., chair of the Edinburgh Group, noted, “As a coalition of 16 accountancy bodies from across the world that is focused on supporting small and medium-sized practices and entities, the Edinburgh Group expects this new tool will be hugely beneficial to those who use it.”

With interactive videos featuring real-world experiences from industry peers, the tool provides users with firsthand insights into how fellow professionals are tackling sustainability challenges.

By sharing practical strategies and best practices, the industry voices provide context, helping accountants translate sustainability concepts into actionable steps for their own firms and for their clients.

“IFAC’s new tool is more than just a guide to reporting, it’s a resource that fosters best-in-class sustainability practices and helps firms develop advisory services,” said industry leader Sarah Lawrance.

“As accountants and small businesses, we have a responsibility to consider our impact on the future, and this tool helps us all take meaningful action, no matter where we are on our journey.”

“This checklist sparks essential conversations between accountants and their clients.

 “It empowers accountants to position themselves as sustainability leaders within their firms while also guiding their clients toward their own sustainability goals.”

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