5 requires a detailed inquiry into whether and how corporate actors contributed to their harms and whether, in doing so, these actors acted consistently with relevant codes of conduct and applicable standards of care. But the implications of the Commission’s inquiry have relevance far beyond the Philippines. When it was filed, the present petition was the first of its kind in a field that, as has been borne out, will and must grow rapidly. As the consequences of climate change grow increasingly evident, widespread, frequent and grave, individuals, communities, vulnerable populations and public authorities at every level of government are being confronted with these same questions. The information, analysis and testimonies presented in this inquiry to date are already proving of value in inquiries, investigations and litigation in other countries and fora. Because the Commission is the first national human rights organization to examine the questions of corporate accountability in the climate context, the findings from this inquiry could make a profound contribution to the development of law and practice in this field. Q11: Could you please explain why climate litigation and investigations, such as this, are important in addressing climate change? A11: The climate crisis is not a single challenge but a complex web of challenges that must be addressed at an array of levels—from the individual to the global. The present inquiry, and similar investigations and litigation emerging around the world, help address those challenges in several ways. First, climate litigation is important to addressing and redressing the impacts of climate change. In the Philippines and around the world, climate change is having profound impacts on human lives, human rights and the environment. Litigation can provide relief, access to justice and access to remedy for the growing numbers of people affected by the climate crisis. Just as significantly, climate litigation is an important pathway for recouping or properly allocating the massive costs that must be borne by individuals and by governments at all levels not only to respond to unnatural climate disasters but to implement adaptive measures to reduce the risks of future disasters—whether by building sea walls, rebuilding critical infrastructure, changing agricultural technologies and practices, or relocating entire communities. The Carbon Majors have contributed and continue to substantially contribute to the climate crisis despite knowing the consequences of their action. Ensuring that those who played a disproportionate role in creating the climate crisis pay their share of the cost can help provide both access to remedy and the equitable allocation of costs for both present harms and future adaptation. The science is clear that until the world transitions away from fossil fuels, the impacts and associated costs of the climate crisis will continue to grow. To date, the major carbon producers have continued to profit from the production and sale of their products while wholly avoiding these costs. By compelling major carbon producers to internalize risks and costs of their products that