Latest news with #cambioClimático
Al Arabiya
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Spain lifts lockdown for thousands as forest fire eases
Spanish authorities lifted lockdown measures for thousands of villagers in the northeastern Catalonia region on Wednesday as firefighters began taming a forest fire raging for a third day. The blaze that started on Monday has burned more than 3,300 hectares (8,154 acres) in Tarragona province, with the protected Els Ports natural park making up around one-third of the affected area, Catalan countryside rangers said. A stay-at-home order for around 18,000 people decreed on Tuesday was lifted except for the municipality of Pauls, where residents were allowed to go outside but not leave the locality, the Catalan civil protection authority announced on X. Catalonia's fire service said it had 'stabilised' the blaze but continued to work with ground units, helicopters and aeroplanes on several hotspots, including cliffs and areas that are hard to access. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that fuels forest fires. Spain recently sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land, while national weather agency AEMET said last month that it was the country's hottest June on record. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, around 500 fires destroyed 300,000 hectares in Spain in 2022, a record for the continent. Around 21,000 hectares have burned so far this year.
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Thousands told to stay home as Spain forest fire rages on
MADRID: Spanish firefighters on Tuesday were battling a forest fire stoked by fierce winds that has burned more than 2,300 hectares (5,680 acres), with authorities urging thousands of residents to stay home. The Spanish army's emergency response unit said it had deployed overnight near the northeastern city of Tarragona to assist local authorities. The blaze has devoured 'around 2,377 hectares of land, mostly forest,' countryside rangers in the Catalonia region wrote on X. The protected Els Ports natural park makes up 30 percent of the affected area, they added. Firefighters released video footage shot from a helicopter on Monday showing hills enveloped in a cloud of grey and orange smoke stretching into the distance. Winds of up to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour) made it harder to extinguish the fire overnight, firefighters said. The national civil protection authority urged residents in the area to close their doors and windows and stay home, saying that around 18,000 people were affected. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the intensity, length and frequency of the extreme heat that causes some forest fires. Spain has in recent days sweltered through a heatwave that parched the land and heightened the risk of forest fires. National weather agency AEMET said last month was Spain's hottest June on record and that the frequency of extreme heat had tripled in the past 10 years. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), some 500 fires destroyed 300,000 hectares in Spain in 2022, a record for the continent. Around 21,000 hectares have burned so far this year.
Al Arabiya
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Latin America's Top Human Rights Court Says States Have Duty to Act on Climate Crisis
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a landmark advisory opinion on Thursday, linking governments' human rights obligations to their responsibility to address the threat of climate change–a move expected to shape policy and litigation across Latin America and the Caribbean. The opinion, the first of its kind from the region's top human rights tribunal, responds to a 2023 request from Colombia and Chile. It says states have a duty under international law to prevent, mitigate, and remedy environmental harm that threatens human rights, including through laws, policies, and actions aimed at curbing climate change. The court outlined a series of legal standards, including the recognition of a human right to a healthy climate, the obligation to prevent massive and irreversible environmental harm, as well as the duty to protect the rights of current and future generations. 'The Court has declared that we are in a climate emergency that is undermining the human rights of present and future generations and that human rights must be at the center of any effective response,' Nikki Reisch, program director at the Center for International Environmental Law Climate and Energy, told The Associated Press. The opinion said states have a legal duty not only to avoid environmental harm, but also to protect and restore ecosystems, guided by science and Indigenous knowledge. 'This is a historic opinion,' said Reisch. 'It's not just a legal milestone–it's a blueprint for action. This opinion will guide climate litigation at the local, regional, and national courts and provide a foundation for climate policymaking, grounding local legislation and global negotiations in legal obligation not just in the Americas, but around the world.' Though not binding, the court's opinions carry legal weight in many member countries of the Organization of American States and often influence domestic legislation, judicial rulings, and international advocacy. The court's findings are expected to bolster climate-related lawsuits and human rights claims in the region and to influence negotiations ahead of COP30–the next major UN climate summit set to take place in November in Belem, Brazil. 'States must not only refrain from causing significant environmental damage, but have the positive obligation to take measures to guarantee the protection, restoration, and regeneration of ecosystems,' said Court President Judge Nancy Hernández López. 'Causing massive and irreversible environmental harm…alters the conditions for a healthy life on Earth to such an extent that it creates consequences of existential proportions. Therefore, it demands universal and effective legal responses,' López said. The opinion comes amid growing Indigenous momentum in the region, including a summit in Ecuador's Amazon last month where hundreds of Indigenous leaders gathered to demand enforcement of court victories recognizing their land and environmental rights. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights, based in San Jose, Costa Rica, is the region's top tribunal for interpreting and enforcing the American Convention on Human Rights. Its rulings, though often challenged by weak enforcement, have played a key role in advancing Indigenous rights and environmental protections across Latin America. In recent years, the court has condemned governments for allowing mining projects on Indigenous land without proper consultation, and advocates have increasingly turned to it as a forum for climate-related accountability. The advisory builds on the Court's 2017 advisory ruling that recognized the right to a healthy environment as a standalone human right, deepening its application in the context of climate breakdown.
Associated Press
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Latin America's top human rights court says states have duty to act on climate crisis
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Thursday issued a landmark advisory opinion linking governments' human rights obligations to their responsibility to address the threat of climate change — a move expected to shape policy and litigation across Latin America and the Caribbean. The opinion is the first of its kind from the region's top human rights tribunal and responds to a 2023 request from Colombia and Chile. It says states have a duty under international law to prevent, mitigate and remedy environmental harm that threatens human rights, including through laws, policies and actions aimed at curbing climate change. The court outlined a series of legal standards, including the recognition of a human right to a healthy climate, the obligation to prevent massive and irreversible environmental harm as well as the duty to protect the rights of current and future generations. 'The Court has declared that we are in a climate emergency that is undermining the human rights of present and future generations and that human rights must be at the center of any effective response,' Nikki Reisch, program director at the Center for International Environmental Law Climate and Energy, told The Associated Press. The opinion said states have a legal duty not only to avoid environmental harm but also to protect and restore ecosystems, guided by science and Indigenous knowledge. 'This is a historic opinion,' said Reisch. 'It's not just a legal milestone — it's a blueprint for action. This opinion will guide climate litigation at the local, regional, and national courts, and provide a foundation for climate policymaking, grounding local legislation and global negotiations in legal obligation, not just in the Americas but around the world.' Though not binding, the court's opinions carry legal weight in many member countries of the Organization of American States and often influence domestic legislation, judicial rulings and international advocacy. The court's findings are expected to bolster climate-related lawsuits and human rights claims in the region, and to influence negotiations ahead of COP30 — the next major United Nations climate summit, set to take place in November in Belem, Brazil. 'States must not only refrain from causing significant environmental damage but have the positive obligation to take measures to guarantee the protection, restoration, and regeneration of ecosystems,' said Court President Judge Nancy Hernández López. 'Causing massive and irreversible environmental the conditions for a healthy life on Earth to such an extent that it creates consequences of existential proportions. Therefore, it demands universal and effective legal responses,' López said. The opinion comes amid growing Indigenous momentum in the region, including a summit in Ecuador's Amazon last month where hundreds of Indigenous leaders gathered to demand enforcement of court victories recognizing their land and environmental rights. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights, based in San Jose, Costa Rica, is the region's top tribunal for interpreting and enforcing the American Convention on Human Rights. Its rulings, though often challenged by weak enforcement, have played a key role in advancing Indigenous rights and environmental protections across Latin America. In recent years, the court has condemned governments for allowing mining projects on Indigenous land without proper consultation, and advocates have increasingly turned to it as a forum for climate-related accountability. The advisory builds on the Court's 2017 advisory ruling that recognized the right to a healthy environment as a standalone human right, deepening its application in the context of climate breakdown. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
03-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Latin America's top human rights court says states have duty to act on climate crisis
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Thursday issued a landmark advisory opinion linking governments' human rights obligations to their responsibility to address the threat of climate change — a move expected to shape policy and litigation across Latin America and the Caribbean. The opinion is the first of its kind from the region's top human rights tribunal and responds to a 2023 request from Colombia and Chile. It says states have a duty under international law to prevent, mitigate and remedy environmental harm that threatens human rights, including through laws, policies and actions aimed at curbing climate change. The court outlined a series of legal standards, including the recognition of a human right to a healthy climate, the obligation to prevent massive and irreversible environmental harm as well as the duty to protect the rights of current and future generations. 'The Court has declared that we are in a climate emergency that is undermining the human rights of present and future generations and that human rights must be at the center of any effective response," Nikki Reisch, program director at the Center for International Environmental Law Climate and Energy, told The Associated Press. The opinion said states have a legal duty not only to avoid environmental harm but also to protect and restore ecosystems, guided by science and Indigenous knowledge. 'This is a historic opinion,' said Reisch. 'It's not just a legal milestone — it's a blueprint for action. This opinion will guide climate litigation at the local, regional, and national courts, and provide a foundation for climate policymaking, grounding local legislation and global negotiations in legal obligation, not just in the Americas but around the world.' Though not binding, the court's opinions carry legal weight in many member countries of the Organization of American States and often influence domestic legislation, judicial rulings and international advocacy. The court's findings are expected to bolster climate-related lawsuits and human rights claims in the region, and to influence negotiations ahead of COP30 — the next major United Nations climate summit, set to take place in November in Belem, Brazil. 'States must not only refrain from causing significant environmental damage but have the positive obligation to take measures to guarantee the protection, restoration, and regeneration of ecosystems,' said Court President Judge Nancy Hernández López. 'Causing massive and irreversible environmental the conditions for a healthy life on Earth to such an extent that it creates consequences of existential proportions. Therefore, it demands universal and effective legal responses,' López said. The opinion comes amid growing Indigenous momentum in the region, including a summit in Ecuador's Amazon last month where hundreds of Indigenous leaders gathered to demand enforcement of court victories recognizing their land and environmental rights. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights, based in San Jose, Costa Rica, is the region's top tribunal for interpreting and enforcing the American Convention on Human Rights. Its rulings, though often challenged by weak enforcement, have played a key role in advancing Indigenous rights and environmental protections across Latin America. In recent years, the court has condemned governments for allowing mining projects on Indigenous land without proper consultation, and advocates have increasingly turned to it as a forum for climate-related accountability. The advisory builds on the Court's 2017 advisory ruling that recognized the right to a healthy environment as a standalone human right, deepening its application in the context of climate breakdown. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
