World's largest carbon producers face landmark human rights case

Saturday, July 30th, 2016

World’s largest carbon producers face landmark human rights case

Author: John Vidal
Source: The Guardian (U.K.)
Publication Date: Wednesday 27 July 2016 11.11 EDT
Link: World’s largest carbon producers face landmark human rights case

Stephan: This is a potentially game changing action on the part of the Philippines. Small countries may not have military power but if multiple countries were to act as the Philippines has it could create a trend of legal challenges that the big multi-national polluters could not avoid. So I take this as good news.

Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, struck in 2013 and was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded.
Credit: Erik de Castro / Reuters/Reuters

The world’s largest oil, coal, cement and mining companies have been given 45 days to respond to a complaint that their greenhouse gas emissions have violated the human rights of millions of people living in the Phillippines.

In a potential landmark legal case, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR), a constitutional body with the power to investigate human rights violations, has sent 47 “carbon majors” including Shell, BP, Chevron, BHP Billiton and Anglo American, a 60-page document accusing them of breaching people’s fundamental rights to “life, food, water, sanitation, adequate housing, and to self determination”.

The move is the first step in what is expected to be an official investigation of the companies by […]

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