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27 February 2025
CHRE Urges UN Action to Cut Methane and Address Human Rights Violations from Fossil Fuels
The Center for Human Rights and Environment (CHRE) has submitted key recommendations to the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change, Elisa Morgera, in response to the Call for Inputs on the Fossil Fuel-Based Economy and Human Rights (OHCHR, 2025). The submission highlights the urgent need to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), particularly methane, to slow global warming and prevent escalating human rights violations.
CHRE’s input underscores that fossil fuel emissions are the primary drivers of climate change, pushing global temperatures dangerously close to the 1.5°C threshold. Exceeding this limit will trigger irreversible tipping points, disproportionately harming vulnerable communities through extreme heat, food and water insecurity, and displacement. Cutting methane is the fastest and most effective way to slow warming in the near term and mitigate these human rights impacts.
“Reducing methane now is a human rights imperative—failure to act constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights to life, health, a safe environment, and the right to resilience,” said Romina Picolotti, President of CHRE. “Neither fossil fuel companies nor States can deny that failing to significantly reduce methane emissions this decade will result in massive human rights violations, as their inaction pushes the planet beyond 1.5°C of warming. The International Energy Agency has made it clear that if the fossil fuel sector implements existing methane mitigation technologies, it can cut 95% of its methane emissions. There is no excuse for inaction—this is a legal and moral obligation.”
Methane mitigation is among the most cost-effective climate strategies, with proven technologies available to capture emissions from fossil fuel operations. Implementing these measures will not only curb global warming but also advance multiple Sustainable Development Goals, including climate action, health, and food security.
CHRE urges the UN Special Rapporteur to emphasize in her report that addressing methane and other SLCPs is a legal obligation under human rights law, and that immediate, enforceable action is essential to protecting both people and the planet.
For media inquiries, please contact Romina Picolotti at: rpicolotti@gmail.com