Belem, Brazil: The rapid expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure is putting billions of lives at risk, Amnesty International warned, urging world leaders to end their dependence on energy sources that drive the climate crisis.
According to a new report released at the COP30 UN climate conference, at least 2 billion people, around a quarter of the global population, live within 5 kilometers of more than 18,000 operational fossil fuel sites. An additional 3,500 sites are under development, which could affect 135 million more people, Amnesty International chief Agnes Callamard said.
Callamard described the industry as an ever-expanding threat that endangers human health, disrupts ecosystems, and accelerates climate change. Living near oil and gas extraction sites or coal mines has been linked to higher rates of cancer, asthma, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems.
The report also highlights human rights abuses, including killings and enforced disappearances, targeting environmental activists and Indigenous communities defending their lands.
Indigenous territories, though home to less than 5 percent of the global population, host 16.1 percent of known fossil fuel infrastructure, the report noted. Callamard emphasized that the findings were shared at COP30 to highlight both the current harm and the long-term damage fossil fuel expansion poses for future generations.
The fossil fuel industry is thriving around the world, despite the global commitments by world leaders to move away from coal, oil and gas. #ExtractionExtinction, exposes how the fossil fuel infrastructure is expanding at the expense of human rights. https://t.co/l5VvtE05Cw pic.twitter.com/yySlnBE8ku
— Amnesty Ireland (@AmnestyIreland) November 12, 2025
Activists attending COP30, including Kumi Naidoo, president of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty campaign, called on leaders to commit to a clear roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels.
Naidoo criticized decades of partial measures that address the symptoms rather than the root cause of the climate crisis, pointing to global dependence on coal, oil, and gas as the primary driver of greenhouse gas emissions.
The UN estimates that fossil fuels contribute around 68 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Public concern is high, with a 2024 UN Development Programme survey showing that over 80 percent of people worldwide want stronger climate action, and 72 percent support a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.
As the COP30 conference continues in Belem, Indigenous groups have also staged protests to demand that their voices and concerns be central to global climate decisions, underlining the urgent need for both environmental and social accountability.
