On the sidelines of the 54th Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC54), this year’s Geneva Toxic Free Talks took place from 20 to 22 September — three days of conferences and discussions, highlighting the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, and of organizations in the struggle for the right to live in a toxic-free environment. This year his annual thematic report to the Council was dedicated to examining the toxic impacts of some proposed solutions to climate change.

Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are urgently needed to address the global climate crisis. Decarbonisation of the energy matrix and polluting sectors of the economy are indispensable to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. However, some climate technologies proposed in recent years may exacerbate the toxic burden on people and the planet. The Special Rapporteur presented recommendations aimed at accelerating decarbonization and detoxification strategies that are integrated and guided by human rights principles.

This side event on human rights, detoxification and decarbonization, organized by the Permanent Mission of Chile and co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Germany, the Permanent Mission of the Philippines and the Geneva Climate Change Consultation Group (GeCCco) offered an opportunity to disseminate and deepen these issues.

Please find further information on the program here.