UN Expert Warns Repression of Climate Activists Threatens Goal of Just Transition to Low-carbon Economies
SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 16: Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
Institutions: Ministry of Law and Justice | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
A UN Special Rapporteur has sounded the alarm that climate activists and defenders worldwide are increasingly subject to repression, criminalisation, and smear campaigns β moves that risk derailing the goal of a just transition toward low-carbon economies.
The expert notes that states and corporations are turning peaceful dissent into security or criminal cases, deploying strategic lawsuits (SLAPPs), surveillance, defamation, and false charges of terrorism or sedition. The pattern, she warns, undermines trust and limits civic space precisely when broad-based climate action demands inclusive, participative governance.
While countries often frame transitions in technical terms (energy, infrastructure, finance), the expert underscores that protecting rights and enabling civic participation are pillars of legitimacy. Losing them can fuel backlash, discontent, and weak implementation of climate policy.
For climate governance to endure, states must safeguard dissenting voices and ensure that climate policies do not silence those they depend on for scrutiny and local legitimacy. Institutional reforms must pair emission goals with human rights protections, especially for defenders in vulnerable geographies and sectors.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can national climate strategies and legislation incorporate protections for climate defenders, so that dissent is not criminalised but channelled constructively into policy feedback systems?
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OHCHR Press Release, 2025 β Repression of climate activists undermines just transition