Oil firms boycott CHR probe on rights abuses from climate change

Oil companies have boycotted the Commission on Human Rights' inquiry on the companies' responsibility for climate change-related human rights abuses, Commissioner Roberto Cadiz said Thursday.

Cadiz was referring to ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, Total, BHP Billiton, Suncor, and ConocoPhillips which were included in the list of 47 carbon producers probed by the CHR based on the petition made by Greenpeace and other environmental groups.

“As you well know, we do not have subpoena powers like the court. We cannot compel them [respondents] to participate in the hearings. [And so] the respondents did not participate,” Cadiz said.

He was referring to the limitations of CHR's mandate which allows it to conduct probe and recommend policies and legal action but does not allow the agency to prosecute human rights violators.

“They boycotted the process, but regardless of their participation, we went on with our proceedings because climate change is a life and death issue, and its effects can be irreversible,” Cadiz added.

The CHR conducted its inquiry from March this year until December 12, gathering testimonies from at least 79 witnesses and resource persons who are environment and legal experts and community leaders.

Per Cadiz, their findings will be released on June 2019.

“We don't want to preempt the release of the findings. We can say that climate change are brought about by man-made causes... human activities, such as burning fuel fossils, which has led to extreme weather conditions, longer droughts,” Cadiz said.

“This (climate change) has a negative impact on human rights, particularly the right to life as we have seen during Typhoon Yolanda,” Cadiz added, referring to the November 2013 tragedy wherein unprecedented storm surges killed at least 6,300 people and left thousands still missing to this day.

Cadiz also said that climate change has already overtaken armed conflict as a driver of displacement of people.

“Climate change brings more than usual typhoons, and typhoons mean displacement and people being deprived of the right to housing, right to education,” Cadiz said.

“Noon, umaalis ang mga tao dahil may giyera. Ngayon, climate change na ang main driver of migration,” Cadiz added. — MDM, GMA News