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.