Human rights case against Australia's fossil fuel expansion

This article contends that Australia's continued domestic fossil fuel expansion constitutes a serious breach of its international human rights obligations. While public debate has largely framed Australia's greenlighting of more than 100 new coal, oil and gas developments in environmental terms, this piece centres on the human consequences. Drawing on legal precedent and normative principles, it outlines multiple ways in which this expansion threatens the rights to life, health and self-determination. The article does not attempt to construct a comprehensive legal argument but instead seeks to initiate a broader conversation. By framing this expansion as a human rights issue, it invites scholars and policymakers to reconsider what is at stake and to confront the injustices embedded in this policy.