Death Toll Mounts as Heatwaves Increase: Daily Brief

As extreme heat warnings are being issued across Europe, over 1,100 people are thought to have died due to the ongoing heatwave in southern Europe. People with disabilities and older people are among those at particular risk of heat-related illness and death, a Human Rights Watch report about the impact of last year's heatwave in the Canadian province of British Columbia found. This heatwave killed hundreds of people. Many of the deaths would have been preventable. In Australia, heatwaves have caused more deaths  in the past 200 years than any other natural hazard. And as April temperatures hit nearly 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of northern India and Pakistan, at least 90 people died from heat-related causes. There is little doubt that climate change means heatwaves will increase in intensity and frequency. The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published last April shows it is still possible to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is needed to prevent the worst climate change outcomes. However, it will require “rapid and deep” emissions cuts across all sectors, and the track records of governments are not promising. Average annual greenhouse gas emissions from 2010-2019 were higher than in any previous decade, with fossil fuels and industry responsible for the largest growth in emissions. Meanwhile, government commitments to reduce emissions are not ambitious enough, implementation efforts are falling even further behind, and financing for fossil fuels is still greater than for climate adaptation and mitigation. Given the foreseeable rise of extreme heatwaves, and the impact on at-risk populations including older people, people with disabilities, pregnant people, and people living in poverty, governments should have a clear plan to both prevent heat-related deaths and to manage severe health risks associated with heatwaves. Failing to take more ambitious climate action, including strengthening rights-respecting climate policies, will mean today's young people are going to experience catastrophic warming this century that will put many more lives at risk.

The health of Australia’s environment has deteriorated considerably over the past five years, according to a government report that was completed by scientists last year, but was held back by the Morrison government until after the federal election. At least 19 of Australia’s ecosystems are showing signs of collapse or are on the verge of collapse, the report finds. The country has lost more mammal species than any other continent, and has one of the highest rates of species decline in the developed world. Ocean acidification – caused by absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – is nearing a tipping point. And the destruction of Indigenous heritage continues at an unacceptable rate. These are just some of the report’s alarming findings. “In a rapidly changing climate, with declining biodiversity, the general outlook for our environment is deteriorating. The impacts of this will affect us all”, the lead authors of the report warned. Improving the state of the environment would require national leadership, integrated management across federal, state and territory systems, new forms of funding and improved monitoring and reporting, the authors conclude. 

For too long, the European Union external borders agency, Frontex, has operated as though border enforcement and human rights were two competing principles. Following an investigation by the European Union Anti-Fraud Office, former Frontex executive director Fabrice Leggeri resigned in April. The investigation looked into numerous reports of Frontex’s complicity in illegal “pushbacks,” forcing asylum seekers and migrants who crossed the Aegean Sea back to Turkey. As the search for Leggeri's successor gets underway, rights should be a central focus throughout the process, yet a requirement that candidates have a demonstrated commitment human rights as they lead the agency is missing from the job posting. As the process moves forward, the European Parliament should ensure fundamental rights are a core area when questioning final candidates. What Frontex now needs is a leader with the commitment and courage. 

As French President Emmanuel Macron is welcoming the United Arab Emirates president, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, to Paris, he shouldn't let France's quest for more gas lead to silence about the UAE’s atrocious human rights record. Amid the backdrop of rising energy prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Macron's search for alternative supplies seems likely to reinforce the already-close ties between France and the UAE. However, while the UAE has made considerable efforts to portray itself as rights-respecting, the reality is much bleaker. For years, the UAE has systematically crushed dissent. Activists, lawyers, teachers, students, and those deemed critics are arrested, prosecuted, and detained. Additionally, women and LGBT people face discrimination, and domestic workers are exposed to significant abuse under the kafala (visa-sponsorship) system. During this visit, Macron should stand up for rights that France claims to defend. He should also press for independent investigations into war crimes in Libya and Yemen. The alternative, sweeping grave violations under the carpet, will only embolden abusive UAE policies at home and abroad. 

Thai authorities should immediately release two pro-democracy activists detained for insulting the monarchy (lese majeste), and drop the politically motivated cases against them. Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkhom and Nutthanit “Bai Por” Duangmusit collapsed during a witness examination at the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court due to severe stomach pains and fatigue. The two have been on a hunger strike since June 2 to protest their pretrial detention at Bangkok’s Central Women Correctional Institution. Both have been held since May for advocating for reforms of the monarchy. The number of lese majeste cases in Thailand has significantly increased in the past year. Holding Netiporn and Nutthanit in prolonged pretrial detention violates their rights under international human rights law.  

Poor social protection is Spain's Achilles heel, writes Koldo Casla, Professor of International Law, in an oped for Agenda Publica. Casla, who is also director of the Human Rights Centre Clinic at the University of Essex, refers to his own findings and those of a new Human Rights Watch report, which documents the enduring weaknesses in Spain’s social security system. Poverty - already a deep, longstanding concern in Spain - worsened sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic, hurting people's basic human rights to food, social security, and an adequate standard of living, the Human Rights Watch report found. The cost-of-living crisis derived from inflation, along with global food and energy supply shortages, will only make matters worse, writes Casla. Already, growing lines at foodbanks expose Spain's failure. “Addressing the cost-of-living crisis requires benefit levels that are sufficient to ensure an adequate standard of living for everyone”, Casla said. “The fourth largest economy of the Eurozone cannot afford anything less than that.”