The UN rights chief has lamented the "meagre results" at the COP30 climate summit, warning that the "fatal inaction" of leaders might one day be considered a crime against humanity.
"I often wonder how future generations will judge our leaders' actions - and their fatal inaction - on the climate crisis," Volker Turk told a forum on business and human rights in Geneva.
He asked: "Could the inadequate response of today be considered ecocide or even a crime against humanity?"
A deal struck at the summit in Belém in Brazil at the weekend boosts finance for poor nations coping with global warming, but omitted any mention of the fossil fuels driving it.
Former President of Ireland and current Chair of the Elders Mary Robinson said despite disappointment over the outcome of the COP30 climate summit talks, momentum remains towards a phasing out of fossil fuels.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mrs Robinson said she was feeling more positive about the outcome of the summit, adding it was not as disappointing as she initially thought.
"We didn't get what we would have liked to get, which was a formal mention of phasing out of fossil fuel. But we have an informal process that's robust; that has more than 80 countries behind it," Mrs Robinson said.
"We have a summit that's going to go even further, which won't have as many countries, but still, the momentum is there," she added.
The summit also launches a voluntary initiative to speed up climate action to help nations meet their existing pledges to reduce emissions, and calls for rich nations to at least triple the amount of money they provide to help developing countries adapt to a warming world by 2035.
Developing countries have argued they urgently need funds to adapt to impacts that are already hitting, like rising sea levels and worsening heat waves, droughts, floods, and storms.
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Mrs Robinson said clean energy is becoming cheaper and more reliable which will encourage countries like Saudi Arabia to move towards that market in the future.
The former president added that Saudi Arabia could move into clean energy tomorrow and make millions in profit. However, the country is currently making billions from oil, she added, and moving from billions to millions isn't easy.
She said the science around climate change is compelling, and there is a real sense of urgency.
"The science is so serious now; we're at a real tipping point for the coral reefs, and we may be at an equal tipping point for the Amazon. We heard that with such authority from scientists".
The agreement reached at the weekend also launches a process for climate bodies to review how to align international trade with climate action, according to the deal text, amid concerns that rising trade barriers are limiting the adoption of clean technology.
