Post on 28-Nov-2021
Climate Change and Human Rights
Office of the High Commissioner for Human rights Regional Office for the Pacific
Robert Vaughan
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"If you think economic interests are more
important than environment, try counting your money while holding
your breath"
United Nations Human Rights High
Commissioner Michelle Bachelet
A HUMAN RIGHTS BASED APPROACH
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universality and inalienability
Indivisibility
interdependence and interrelatedness
non-discrimination and equality
participation and inclusion
Accountability
the rule of law
A rights-based
approach to
climate change
demands climate
justice, equity,
respect for human
rights as well as
international
cooperation and
solidarity..
How climate change effects the enjoyment of human rights
• Climate change threatens the effective enjoymentof a range of human rights including those to life,water and sanitation, food, health, housing, self-determination, culture and development. Stateshave a human rights obligation to prevent theforeseeable adverse effects of climate change andensure that those affected by it, particularly thosein vulnerable situations, have access to effectiveremedies and means of adaptation to enjoy lives ofhuman dignity.
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/H
RAndClimateChange/Pages/AboutCli
mateChangeHR.aspx
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Climate change is created by human activity and is not an act of god.
• Communities across the Pacific region areexperiencing the dramatic impacts of a changingclimate. Stronger tropical cyclones, deterioratingmarine ecosystems, rising sea-levels, and hightemperature extremes and droughts have resultedin loss of lives and livelihoods across the region.The adverse effects of climate change are alsothreatening important development gains in thePacific States and forcing a growing number ofcommunities to leave their traditional lands. Thedirect and indirect impacts of climate changeaffect a wide range of human rights.
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What rights are effected?
Civil and Political
• Freedom of Expression - Article 19 - everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.
• Freedom of Association
• Right to life
• Self-determination
Economic, Social and Cultural• Right to water and sanitation
• Right to adequate food
• Right to education
• Right to adequate housing
• Right to work
• Right to health (right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health)
• Right to development
• Cultural rights
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What Human Rights mechanisms exist?
1.The Human Rights
Council
2.The Universal
Periodic Review
3.The UN Special
procedure mandate
holders
4.The UN Treaty
Bodies
The 2030 Agenda
Climate Change is relevant to all other SDGs
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevel
opment/climate-change/10
Further reading
https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/hrandclimatecha
nge/pages/hrclimatechangeindex.aspx
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