US is violating human rights laws by backing fossil fuels, say young activists in new petition

Petition says that US government's protection of fossil fuel interests has put people in harm's way

By continuing to fund and support a fossil fuel-based energy system, the US is violating international law, a group of young people have argued to an international human rights body.

The petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), filed late on Tuesday and shared exclusively with the Guardian, says the government's actions have violated the petitioners' human rights.