ECONOMIC, SOCIAL & CULTURAL RIGHTS and CLIMATE CHANGE: A Legal Reference Guide Given the serious human rights ramifications of climate change, States are obliged to take all appropriate means to avoid and mitigate climate change and its harmful consequences, as well as assist vulnerable communities in adapting to its consequences. States are also required to ensure that their responses to climate change are consistent with their human rights obligations under domestic and international law. This introductory legal reference guide examines the connections between climate change and human rights, with a particular focus on the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It seeks to provide policy-makers, advocates, and experts with basic knowledge of obligations and principles related to international economic, social, and cultural rights, along with concrete examples of their relevance to climate change-related policy-making. The guide thus aims to ensure that governments continue to meet their obligations to respect, protect, and fulfil economic, social, and cultural rights in the context of new challenges brought by climate change, as well as to highlight opportunities for policy-makers worldwide. Edited by Sébastien Jodoin and Katherine Lofts Foreword by Thomas Pogge Contributing Authors: Christiane Bossé, Christopher Campbell-Duruflé, Benoît Mayer, Karine Péloffy, Patrick Reynaud, and Sean Stephenson. The support of the Government of Québec for the development of this manual is gratefully acknowledged: