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The climate crisis is already affecting people and communities across Latin America and the Caribbean—damaging homes, livelihoods, ecosystems, and the fundamental right to a healthy environment.

Advisory Opinion 32/25 of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights is the first of its kind to establish that both States and non-State actors—including companies—have clear and binding legal obligations to confront the causes and consequences of the climate emergency as a human rights issue.

The historic interpretation, made public on July 3, 2025, gives human rights and environmental defenders a powerful new tool to demand action and justice.

But how can this decision be used in real cases, campaigns, and policies today?

A Legal Toolkit for Climate Justice

To help answer that question, more than 20 experts and organizations—including AIDA—created a new publication analyzing the Court's decision with an emphasis on its practical applications.

Climate Justice and Human Rights: Legal Standards and Tools from the Inter-American Court’s Advisory Opinion 32/25 contains 14 briefs, organized into four key areas:

• Foundational Rights and Knowledge;
• State and Corporate Obligations;
• Rights of Affected Peoples and Groups;
• Environmental Democracy and Remedies.

Each brief contains:

• Context and background to situate the issue.
• A clear legal analysis of the Court’s key contributions.
• A critical look at how these standards can be applied in practice.
• Identification of opportunities to advance advocacy and litigation, as well as the gaps that remain.
   

All content was rigorously peer-reviewed to ensure clarity and accuracy.
 

Why Does This Matter Now?

With OC-32/25, advocates and local communities across the region now have:

• Stronger grounds for litigation—incorporating human rights standards into climate-related cases.
• Legal leverage for corporate accountability—clarifying businesses’ duties to prevent and remedy harm.
• Arguments to expand protections for those most affected: children, women, Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities, and environmental defenders.
• Policy tools to demand national climate actions aligned with human rights.
   

In a region facing disproportionate climate risks, this decision shifts power toward communities and movements seeking justice.

What You Can Do With This Toolkit

This publication is a tool to facilitate understanding of the Court's decision and promote concrete legal and political actions to protect communities and ecosystems from the climate emergency.

It is addressed to individuals, communities, organizations, and networks working on the climate crisis and human rights issues, providing them with standards and practical recommendations to strengthen their litigation and advocacy strategies and efforts.

In short, it's designed to help you incorporate strong legal arguments your work, including:

• Shaping urgent protection actions for frontline communities.
• Strengthening advocacy campaigns with legal backing.
• Informing climate legislation and public policy debates.
• Supporting community-led demands for adaptation and resilience.
• Integrating human rights standards into strategic litigation.

Whether you are a lawyer, organizer, community leader, or policymaker—this toolkit can help you to turn legal standards into real protection and accountability.

A Call to Action

Latin America has contributed least to global emissions but is among the most impacted by climate harms. OC-32/25 opens a new chapter: one where the defense of human rights is also the defense of our climate.
Now is the time to use this decision to advance justice across the region.

Together, we can transform this legal milestone into tangible protections for the people and places who need them most.

READ AND DOWNLOAD THE TOOLKIT