When Climate Moves People: A Turning Point in the Inter-American Human Rights System

This article explores the evolving role of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) in addressing climate-induced human mobility, focusing on its landmark Advisory Opinion AO-32/2025 on Climate Emergency and Human Rights. It argues that the Court’s jurisprudence reflects a gradual normative convergence between migration and environmental protection under Article 22 and Article 26 of the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR). The article develops an analytical framework to explain this emerging bridge, identifying two interrelated dynamics: the strategic use of advisory jurisdiction as a driver of normative development, and the consolidation of a Transformative Social Approach (TSA) to human rights violations. Building on this framework, the article shows how AO-32/2025 advances a comprehensive human rights-based approach to climate mobility through a normative consolidation.