Climate change is projected to have significant human rights impacts. On this page, resources relevant to the human rights dimension of climate change are gathered.
* United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) site on climate change
* In remarks made at a panel discussion in Geneva on June 15, 2009, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kyung-wha Kang elaborates how a human rights lens adds value to climate policymaking:
“the human rights framework complements the Climate Change Convention in one important aspect. It brings more clearly into focus the adverse effects of climate change that are felt not only by States and economies, but also – and more fundamentally – by individuals and communities…
…it is clear that, within countries, those individuals and groups who are already vulnerable and marginalized in society are also particularly exposed to climate change-related threats. For example, women are particularly exposed to climate change-related risks due to gender discrimination and inhibiting gender roles. This is also the case of indigenous peoples who often depend on natural resources for their livelihoods and inhabit fragile ecosystems. Climate change is related not only to environmental factors but also to poverty, discrimination and inequalities– this is why climate change is a human rights issue.
The human rights perspective, focusing on the right of everyone to a dignified life based on the fundamental principles of equality and non-discrimination, is particularly well suited to analyse how climate change affects people differently. Such analysis, which brings into light the underlying causes of vulnerability, is essential to designing effective and sustainable policies and measures to address climate change.
The human rights perspective also underlines the importance of empowerment. Measures to ensure such basic human rights, as access to information, participation in decision-making processes, and access to education, health services and adequate housing, are all important for reducing the vulnerability of individuals to climate change threats.”