Former UN Climate Chief Warns World Held Hostage by Fossil Fuel Dependence
Christiana Figueres, the international climate negotiator who helped deliver the landmark Paris Agreement in 2016, has issued a stark warning that countries are being "held hostage" by their reliance on fossil fuels. She described the health impacts of climate change as "the mother of all injustices" in an exclusive statement.
New Lancet Commission to Examine Sea-Level Rise as Health Crisis
Figueres was announced on Wednesday as co-chair of a new Lancet Commission that will examine how sea-level rise is reshaping global health, wellbeing, and inequality. The commission represents an international collaboration analyzing major global health issues with the power to influence policy worldwide.
This groundbreaking commission will specifically examine legal frameworks to hold countries accountable for the health harms caused by sea-level rise, with a final report expected by September 2027.
The Immediate Health Impacts of Rising Seas
"We in the climate community are very guilty of explaining things in way too esoteric terms, as though climate change were something that is not happening now," Figueres stated. "So framing these issues in terms of health, in terms of dignity, in terms of livelihoods, in terms of identity and cultural continuity provides a much better context to the challenge of reducing emissions."
The health impacts of sea-level rise are already devastating communities worldwide:
- Contamination of drinking water supplies
- Damage to food security through salinization of agricultural lands
- Destruction of sanitation systems
- Forced displacement of entire communities from their ancestral homes
"Just from a health perspective, it is now affecting drinking water, it's affecting sanitation, it's affecting food security because of the salinisation of all of these lands that are ocean front," Figueres emphasized. "It is happening now, it is a crisis of health and it is the mother of all injustices."
Pacific Islands Face Existential Threat
The commission comes after Pacific island health ministers called for greater global focus on sea-level rise as both a health and justice issue. Sea-level rise is not uniform across the globe, with research showing it is higher than global averages in the Pacific region.
Island nations including Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Fiji may become uninhabitable within decades due to rising waters. Most of Tuvalu sits less than three meters above sea level, making it particularly vulnerable.
"Can you imagine the pain of having to leave the bones of ancestors and being displaced in order to be able to protect the future of children?" Figueres asked. "That is a pain that is already being experienced in the Pacific islands. That is a pain that we cannot put in economic terms. The grief is huge."
Legal Accountability and Climate Justice
The commission will consider how to hold some of the world's biggest polluters accountable for irreversible harm being caused to countries that contribute the least to climate change. It will assess existing legal instruments, identify gaps in protections, and consider new ways to safeguard health and uphold justice for suffering communities.
A landmark 2025 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice found that countries have a legal obligation to prevent climate harm, with failure potentially resulting in compensation and other forms of restitution. Though non-binding, Figueres believes this finding will boost climate litigation cases and lead to groundbreaking claims.
"Just the fact that the ICJ came out with an unequivocal opinion is already a crucial first step in terms of legal consequences," she stated.
Beyond Legal Agreements: The Path Forward
Figueres expressed skepticism about relying solely on legally binding agreements, recalling how Canada exited the Kyoto Protocol just before facing billions in penalties for failing to meet emissions targets.
"Having a legally binding agreement does not guarantee at all that any country would comply," she noted.
Instead, she believes change is more likely to come from a combination of legal pressure, scientific evidence, and what she describes as appealing to the "enlightened self-interest" of governments and corporations.
"That is why it is important to lay bare the consequences of inaction," Figueres explained. "Companies should understand for their business continuation, they should reduce emissions. Governments should understand that in order for them to stabilise their economy, and protect their people, they should reduce emissions."
She concluded: "I just think that enlightened self-interest based on scientific facts – which is what the commission is going to put forward – is a much more effective route to emission reductions than a legally binding agreement from which anybody can withdraw."
The timing of the commission's announcement coincides with global geopolitical instability that Figueres described as "dramatic proof" of the world's dangerous dependence on fossil fuels – the very dependence driving both geopolitical tensions and the health impacts her commission will examine.
