Afghanistan, torture of detainees was reportedly widespread and public corporal punishment amounting to torture or other ill-treatment was used. The Indonesian military was responsible for the arbitrary detention, torture and deaths in custody of Indigenous Papuan civilians, including children. Governments must prohibit and criminalize torture and other acts of ill-treatment and take effective measures to protect and prevent abuse of marginalized and at-risk groups. Where they occur, states must investigate allegations, hold those responsible to account and provide victims with timely remedy. RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT Devastating floods, soaring temperatures and deadly typhoons highlighted the vulnerability of the region to events induced by climate change. Yet measures to reduce carbon emissions and for preparedness and adaptation remained largely inadequate. As ever, the poorest and most marginalized suffered the gravest consequences for these failures. The high death toll among ethnic Rohingya from a cyclone that hit Myanmar in May was largely attributable to the appalling conditions in which they have lived since being forcibly displaced in 2012. In India, almost 200 deaths were recorded in floods in the Himalayan region and heatwaves in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states. Pakistan continued to experience searing climate change-induced heatwaves that severely impacted health, particularly of those living in poverty and informal sector workers. Mitigation efforts, starting with emissions targets set by many states, including the biggest emitters, remained insufficient to keep the increase in average global temperatures below 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. Policies and actions were often inconsistent with meeting targets to which states had committed. For example, Taiwan adopted legislation requiring the government to reduce emissions, but there was no timeline for phasing out fossil fuels and oil exploration continued. There was little sign of reducing reliance on coal in the region’s energy systems. On the contrary, new coal-fired plants and coal mining projects continued to be authorized by governments in Australia, China, Indonesia and South Korea, often in the face of strong domestic opposition. Japan was the only industrialized country in the world not to have committed to phasing out the use of coal in electricity production. States repeatedly ignored the impact of extractive industries on the environment and on Indigenous Peoples and other affected communities. In Mongolia for example, there was still insufficient action to address the impact of mining operations in the Gobi region on the health and livelihoods of herder communities. In Papua New Guinea, the government issued a licence to reopen a gold mining operation previously associated with serious human rights abuses and environmental damage, despite these not being adequately addressed by the company involved. Industrialized and other high-emitting countries in the region must take the lead in climate mitigation, including by stopping the expansion of fossil fuel production and subsidies, and ensure that their climate policies are consistent with keeping global warming within 1.5°C. Governments must increase investment in disaster preparedness and adaptation and prioritize the protection of marginalized and other groups disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis. The State of the World’s Human Rights 47