The United Nations Special Rapporteur on climate change and human rights, Elisa Morgera, in her latest report, has warned that fossil fuels are at the core of the triple planetary crises of biodiversity loss, toxic pollution and climate change, apart from exacerbating economic inequalities and human rights violations. Though the fossil fuel industry had a long-standing knowledge of the expected devastating impacts of climate change because of unabated fossil fuel extraction, they adopted the strategy of “distract, derail and disrupt” from their “playbook” to stop the de-fossilisation of the world economy.
The report also notes with disgust how the fossil fuel companies have benefited and continue to benefit from substantial profits, sizable subsidies, tax avoidance and undue protection under international investment law, bilateral treaties without reducing energy poverty and economic inequalities. This has led to a mere 30 per cent of global electricity supply from renewables, a far cry from the scientific evidence that points to the feasibility of a 100 per cent global reliance on renewable energy. The burning of fossil fuels has been and remains the primary driver of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for up to 91 per cent of total historic anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.
Almost all plastics are made from non-renewable petrochemicals, sourced from oil, gas and coal. The alarmingly increased conversion of fossil fuels into plastics and petrochemicals is “locking in” our economies into fossil fuels. Plastics and petrochemicals also cause severe human rights impacts, worsening climate change, impact agri-food systems and food value chain, biodiversity loss and toxic pollution, and thereby compounding negative impacts on the rights to life, health, an adequate standard of living and a healthy environment and on cultural rights. Preventing fossil fuel lock-in through plastics and petrochemicals production is the urgent need of the hour, and nations must show more determination by advocating for a strong treaty on plastics that will address the entire plastics life-cycle, problematic chemicals, production reduction, while addressing false claims about advanced plastics recycling that contribute to lock-in. Defossilization is necessary to truly open up a just, human rights-based transition to renewable energy!
— Energy Team at CFA
Read the full issue here: Energy Matters | June 2025
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