Iris Duquesne

Greta Thunberg and children from around the world petition the UN Secretary-General to declare a climate emergency at the UN

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

On December 12, 2020, Secretary-General Guterres called on leaders worldwide to declare a State of Climate Emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached.

Key Points: 
  • On December 12, 2020, Secretary-General Guterres called on leaders worldwide to declare a State of Climate Emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached.
  • The United Nations response to the COVID-19 pandemic provides a blueprint for climate action.
  • The petitioners urge them to mobilize the same emergency response to the climate crisis, which threatens even more profound and lasting devastation.
  • Declaring a Level 3 Emergency would mean placing climate action at the top of the agenda for each UN agency.

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Turns Its Back on Climate Change Petition From Greta Thunberg and Children From Around the World

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 12, 2021

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a stunning decision, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the global human rights body tasked with protecting children’s rights, refused to hear the case of 16 youth from around the world who are threatened by the climate crisis.

Key Points: 
  • Today, the Committee delivered a rebuke to young people around the world who are demanding immediate action on the climate crisis.
  • In dismissing the case, the Committee told children that climate change is a dire global emergency, but the UNs doors are closed to them.
  • The fact that all states are causing climate change, the Committee held, does not absolve states of individual responsibility to reduce their own share of emissions.
  • The Committee also found that the youth are victims of foreseeable threats to their rights to life, health, and culture.