ETOs in the Context of Eco-destruction and Climate Change

The document examines how extraterritorial obligations (ETOs), as clarified by the Maastricht Principles, are essential for holding states accountable for environmental destruction and climate change that impact human rights beyond their own borders. It highlights gaps in protection caused by globalization, specifically regarding transnational corporations and intergovernmental organizations. Using examples like tropical deforestation and shipbreaking in South Asia, the guide illustrates how state omissions and the failure to regulate non-state actors lead to severe human rights impairments. It concludes that a human rights-based approach to climate change is necessary to ensure equitable mitigation and protection for the world's most vulnerable populations.

• The Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations (ETOs) serve as an international expert opinion that clarifies existing human rights law, asserting that state obligations do not end at national borders but extend to their entire sphere of influence.
• Globalization has created significant gaps in human rights protection, including a lack of accountability for transnational corporations (TNCs), intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and the failure to implement duties to protect Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) abroad.
• States have a specific extraterritorial obligation to regulate non-state actors, such as corporations, to ensure they do not impair human rights; this includes states where companies are registered, domiciled, or carry out substantial business.
• Tropical deforestation is a critical driver of climate change, contributing up to 20% of man-made emissions, and is often linked to illegal logging that involves violence and atrocities against indigenous peoples.
• The shipbreaking industry has been externalized from developed nations to developing countries—specifically Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan—where 'beaching' processes expose unprotected migrant workers to hazardous chemicals like asbestos and PCBs.
• Climate change is identified as a security threat that can aggravate existing conflicts and drive large-scale population displacement, as seen in the case of Darfur, Sudan.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2014). ETOs in the Context of Eco-destruction and Climate Change. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ETOs_CC_16Jan15.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. ETOs in the Context of Eco-destruction and Climate Change. 2014. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ETOs_CC_16Jan15.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=ETOs in the Context of Eco-destruction and Climate Change |date=December 2014 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ETOs_CC_16Jan15.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2014etos, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{ETOs in the Context of Eco-destruction and Climate Change}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2014}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ETOs_CC_16Jan15.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }