UN Secretary General António Guterres Monday took aim at “climate-wrecking corporations” during his remarks to the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council.

He stated:

Legal challenges against climate-wrecking corporations are an important step forward. Fossil fuel producers and their financiers must understand one simple truth: pursuing mega-profits when so many people are losing their lives and rights, now and in the future, is totally unacceptable.

Guterres specifically cited legal action in the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court as crucial tools to ensure “accountability for human rights abuses,” including “those committed by the private sector.” This push reflects an escalation of Guterres’ continued emphasis on climate justice. He also recently criticized oil firms for concealing their impact on climate change and reaffirmed access to a clean, healthy environment as a universal human right.

Guterres’ comments came in the wider context of a speech which surveyed the state of global human rights today, highlighting threats such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, religious persecution and the abuse of technology.