Colombia celebrates the IACHR ruling recognizing the right to a healthy climate.

The Ministry of the Environment celebrated this Friday as a "global milestone" the decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), which recognizes for the first time the human right to a healthy climate and the obligation of States to act in the face of the climate crisis.

"A historic decision for the planet and human rights," the ministry said in a post on its X account . See more: Laura Sarabia advocates for maintaining "frank and constructive" dialogue with the U.S.

The environmental ministry emphasized that the decision, issued in an advisory opinion by the Court, requested in January 2023 by Colombia and Chile , establishes clear obligations to mitigate emissions, regulate private entities, and protect the most vulnerable.

" Under the right to a healthy climate, States must protect the global climate system and prevent human rights violations resulting from its disruption ," the international tribunal explained in its decision, released yesterday in San José, Costa Rica.

The judges established obligations for States within the framework of the climate emergency, such as guaranteeing people's political participation in climate issues; access to justice in this area ; the right to defend human rights; access to climate information; and the recognition of indigenous, traditional, and local knowledge.

See more: Why Petro accuses the 'far right' of wanting to break relations with the U.S.

Colombian Environment Minister Lena Estrada stated that this ruling "confirms what indigenous peoples have said for centuries: there are no human rights without Mother Earth."

"It's not just a legal advance, it's a reaffirmation of life," the official added in statements reproduced by the environmental ministry.

See more: The United States withdraws visas from officials close to President Petro

The ministry also emphasized that the decision reinforces the Colombian government's priorities, such as environmental justice, the protection of environmental defenders , the recognition of ancestral knowledge, and the effective participation of communities.

EFE