Climate Change and Human Rights

The impacts of climate change to some especially vulnerable communities, in terms of their capacity to effectively achieve sustainable development and realize their human rights, is extremely worrisome and promises to worsen with present trends in climate change evolution.

Immediate attention to vulnerable communities, regions, and States, is urgently needed in international climate change negotiations if they are to have an equitable and balanced evolution, not only for global emitters, but also for impacted States and vulnerable communities.

A human rights framework and development analysis of climate change impacts provide an effective lens through which to help States prioritize the necessary actions to adapt to and mitigate the social impacts of climate change.

CEDHA's Climate Change and Human Rights Initiative aims to:

• Explore how climate change impacts affect human rights and sustainable development
• Disseminate a human rights based approach to addressing climate change impacts
• Draw attention to vulnerable groups, disproportionately burdened by climate impacts
• Inform climate change negotiators and relevant actors of the benefits of a rights based approach to climate problems
• Steer present climate change negotiations towards more equitable adaptation and mitigation results.

Resources:

• CEDHA's Policy Paper on Human Rights and Climate Change

Normative Framework for Climate Negotiations:

• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Kyoto Protocol
• OAS Resolution on Human Roghts and Climate Change for the Américas

Key Documents in Climate Negotiations

• IPCC Reports
  • IPPC Wkg Grp III Summary for Policymakers
  • IPPC Wkg Grp II Summary for Policymakers
• Stern Review

Ozone/Montreal Protocol

• Text of the Montreal Protocol
• Commitments of Accelerated HCFC Phaseouts

Background Materials and other Documents

• CEDHA - World Bank consultation on climate change
  
• Draft resolution Human Rights and Climate Change in the Americas AG/doc. 4862/08

• Human Rights and Climate Change - Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC)

• Malé Declaration on the Human Dimensión of Global Climate Change

• Climate Litigation research published - Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie)
  
• Pacific Human Rights and Climate Change

See the key documents and links about Human Rights and Climate Change

Large Climate Mitigation Gains by Ozone Treaty Negotiators

Historic Agreement Reached on Ozone and Climate Change

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