2005年，在SheilaWatt-Cloutier的領導下，因紐特人北極圈會議開始在美洲人權委員會對美國提出控訴，這是世界上第一次關於氣候變遷的國際法律請願活動，而且因紐特人請願書中強調人權和氣候變遷之間的連結，這在當時是很特別的。雖然請願書被駁回，委員會卻另外召開全球暖化和人權議題的「一般性本質的聽證會」，因此，儘管為追究美國所致氣候變遷的責任而「控告美國」此一構想沒有成功，委員會仍藉由聽證會方式，進一步關注用人權基礎為途徑處理氣候變遷議題的必要性，就此意義來說，是對國際環境法的發展作出了顯著貢獻。

In 2005, under Sheila Watt-Cloutier’s leadership, the Inuit Circumpolar Conference launched what is often described as the world’s first international legal action on climate change by lodging a petition against the United States before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Inuit petition emphasized a connection between human rights and climate change, which at the time was considered unique. What is not, however, often mentioned is that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights never ruled on the substance of the complaint, rejecting the Inuit petition as inadmissible. The Commission did, however, hold what it called a “hearing of a general nature” on the issue of global warming and human rights. Thus, while the idea of “suing the United States” for its alleged contribution to climate change did not succeed, the Commission’s hearing nevertheless served to give further attention to the need for a human rights-based approach to the issue of climate change, and in that sense made a notable contribution to developments in international environmental law.