CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS marine species will cause species richness to increase at mid- and high latitudes, and decrease at tropical latitudes. This has serious implications for marine productivity and food security in tropical areas.21 Affected rights: right to food, right to an adequate standard of living, right to health. (v) Food Security and Production Systems The effects of climate change on crop and terrestrial food production are already evident in several regions of the world. Some high-latitude regions, such as northeast China and the U.K., have experienced a modest increase in productivity as a result of recent warming trends.22 However, changes in temperature and rainfall precipitation have also negatively affected wheat and maize production in many regions.23 There is also evidence that extreme weather events (storms and flooding) have impacted food production, but it is not possible to say that these specific events were caused by climate change (although climate change will increase the likelihood of such events).24 As noted above, climate change is also adversely impacting the productivity of fisheries. Going forward, it is very likely that climate change will adversely impact the production of major crops (wheat, rice, and maize) in both tropical and temperate regions.25 The food security risk will be greatest in low-latitude countries, where there is high confidence that crop production will be “consistently and negatively” affected by climate change in a 2°C warming scenario (and fishery production will also decline).26 Even in the near term, the impacts on global food security could be devastating—for example, 10% of the projected impacts on food security under a 2°C warming scenario showed yield losses of more than 25% for the period 2030-2049.27 Greater losses are expected after 2050.28 Affected rights: right to food, right to health, right to life, right to an adequate standard of living. (b) Impacts on Physical Infrastructure and Human Settlements (i) Urban Areas Climate-related phenomena such as rising sea levels, coastal storms, heat stress, extreme precipitation, inland and coastal flooding, landslides, drought, increased aridity, water scarcity, and air pollution “will have profound impacts on a broad spectrum of city functions, infrastructures, and services and will interact with and may exacerbate many existing stresses.”29 Urban climate change-related risks are increasing, with widespread negative impacts on people and their health, livelihoods, and assets, as well as local and national economies and ecosystems.30 These risks are amplified for those who live in informal settlements and hazardous areas, which often lack essential infrastructure and adaptive capacity, as well as individuals that are more vulnerable as a result of age, income, disability, or other factors.31 Affected rights: right to life, right to housing, right to health, right to water and sanitation, right to an adequate standard of living, right to property. (ii) Rural Areas Climate change will affect water supply, food security, and agricultural incomes in rural areas.32 This will have implications for human health, livelihoods, incomes, and migration patterns. Some of the key impacts that create risk for rural communities include: rising temperatures and heat waves, changing precipitation patterns, and 21 Id. at 414-415. 22 Id. at 491. 23 Id. 24 Id. 25 Id. at 488. 26 Id. 27 Id. at 504. 28 Id. at 488, 504. 29 Id. at 556. 30 Id. at 538. 31 Id. 32 Id. at 616. T H E H U M A N R I G H T S I M P L I C AT I O N S O F C L I M AT E C H A N G E 5