Extreme heat exposes deadly collision of climate change, corporate greed and political failure as rights burn
30 July 2026Responding to extreme heat related weather events around the globe, including widespread wildfires, drought and floods, Marta Schaaf, Programme Director for Climate, ESJ and Corporate. . .
30 July 2026Responding to extreme heat related weather events around the globe, including widespread wildfires, drought and floods, Marta Schaaf, Programme Director for Climate, ESJ and Corporate Accountability at Amnesty International said:“Extreme heat is not just a weather event. This heat is political. It is where climate change driven by corporate greed and political failure collides with people’s rights, lives and livelihoods. It is a human rights emergency that threatens the rights to life, health, housing, water and sanitation, food, education, and a healthy environment. “Extreme heat is not a stand-alone disaster. It’s a multiplier of human rights harm. While many governments and corporate actors roll back their climate action, an increasing number of people worldwide experience life altering – and in too many cases, life ending – climate change driven extreme events. “Thanks in part to generous public subsidies and support from allies in government, fossil fuel companies continue to profit while communities are left to pay the costs of the damage these companies helped cause. ”Marta Schaaf, Programme Director for Climate, ESJ and Corporate Accountability“Heatwaves can kill directly, and they also fuel wildfires, worsen air pollution, dry out land and disrupt rainfall patterns, deepening drought in some places and making floods more dangerous elsewhere. These harms are being made worse by authoritarian tactics that attack climate science, restrict protest, spread climate disinformation and shield powerful fossil fuel interests from accountability. “Governments must protect people now through adaptation and climate-resilient public services including early warning systems, safe housing, access to water, and heat protections. But they must also confront the root cause of this escalating crisis. “Thanks in part to generous public subsidies and support from allies in government, fossil fuel companies continue to profit while communities are left to pay the costs of the damage these companies helped cause. States must make polluters pay, defend climate science and civic space, and deliver a full, fast, fair and funded phase-out of fossil fuels that leaves no one behind. ”BackgroundEnd coal and gas greed: Call on the Albanese Government to put people before profit. Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people who take injustice personally. We are campaigning for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all – and we can only do it with your support. Act nowor learn more about ourhuman rightswork. Want to make headlines?