Frontline communities holding governments accountable

The law is becoming clearer. What does that mean for fossil fuels?

Over years, Pacific Island nations and young people worked to secure the landmark International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion clarifying governments' obligations to address climate pollution.

Building on this, Australian communities are using international law, human rights mechanisms and domestic legal challenges hold governments accountable for climate harm and fossil fuel expansion.

This includes:

• The Hard Truths case: Ten Australians have taken the Australian government to the UN Human Rights Committee, arguing Australia's continued support of coal and gas for export is violating their human rights.
• Generation Justice: EJA has supported nine young people to lodge a human rights complaint over climate inaction, prompting two Special Rapporteurs to raise serious human rights allegations directly with the Australian Government.
• North West Shelf Extension: EJA lawyers are representing the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) in their legal challenge over the federal Environment Minister approval of Australia’s largest, longest operating and most polluting gas project.
• Browse offshore gas project: EJA is also representing ACF in a legal intervention to Woodside’s proposed Browse offshore gas project over new evidence directly linking the project's emissions to coral devastation on the Great Barrier Reef.

In this official COP31 UNFCCC side event, Pacific leaders will join the UN Special Rapporteur, legal experts, and Australians from each of these cases. Together, they will explore what the latest developments in international climate law mean for government decisions on fossil fuels in Australia and around the world – and how frontline communities are putting the law to work.

Please note, Blue Zone accreditation is required to pass through security and access the venue.