Recognising the link between climate change and human rights is an important step towards protecting the fundamental rights of communities across the planet, according to a new United Nations report presented at the Paris climate meeting.
‘Climate Change and Human Rights’ says that anthropogenic climate change is the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural environment and human rights of our time. The far-reaching environmental impacts of climate change are already being felt, posing a potential threat to human rights across the world, including the rights to health, food and an adequate standard of living.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) executive director Achim Steiner stated that climate change is already having direct impact on humans and settlements through the degradation of ecosystems and resources, upon which so many depend for survival and livelihoods.
As he cautioned, we will see its impacts continue to affect the human rights of millions of people as conditions worsen. The new research sheds light on the link between climate change and human rights and can serve as a reference point for climate action beyond the stepping stone of the Paris agreement.
The report - developed by UNEP in co-operation with the Sabin Centre for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School - highlights the need for greater ambition in climate change actions and targets in order to safeguard human rights.
Citing UNEP’s 2015 Emissions Gap research, the report says that full implementation of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions is projected to reduce emissions in 2030 by up to six gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, and will leave the world 12 gigatonnes short of the level required by 2030 to give a chance of staying below the “safe” level of 2C global temperature rise this century.
This means that the projected level of global warming might result in climatic and environmental impacts, with potential impacts on human rights. While the report acknowledges that many nations have taken steps towards fulfilling their obligations, it concludes by saying that only through increasing ambition and working collectively on climate change can the international community ensure the protection of human rights for all citizens across the world.
It has long been recognised that a clean, healthy and functional environment is integral to the enjoyment of human rights, such as the rights to life, health, food and an adequate standard of living. The latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change describes how observed and predicted changes in climate will adversely affect billions of people and the ecosystems, natural resources, and physical infrastructure upon which they depend. These harmful impacts include sudden-onset events that pose a direct threat to human lives and safety, as well as more gradual forms of environmental degradation that will undermine access to clean water, food, and other key resources that support human life. As a consequence, climate change will have a profound effect on the enjoyment of human rights for individuals and communities across the planet.
The international community has pledged to allocate or direct $100bn a year to funding mitigation and adaptation projects in developing nations. It is critical that as the world endeavours to address climate change, it do so with full respect for human rights.