Facing the heat: Africa’s legal quest for climate justice
Lobbies want African governments to move beyond political declarations and demonstrate tangible leadership by integrating climate justice into national budgets, legal frameworks and development plans.
A coalition of civil society organisations, led by the Pan African Lawyers Union (Palu), has sought an advisory opinion from the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the legal interpretation of African states’ human rights obligations in the face of the escalating climate crisis.
The lobbies, including African Climate Platform, Environmental Lawyers Collective for Africa, Natural Justice, and Resilient40, cite Article 4(1) of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Rule 82(1) of the Court’s Rules of Procedure, saying the issue falls within the court’s advisory jurisdiction.
