Understanding Human Rights and Climate Change1
Table of Contents
Key Messages on Human Rights and Climate Change .................................................................... 2
Part I. Human Rights and Climate Change ..................................................................................... 5
Why integrate human rights in climate change-related actions? ...................................................... 6
What human rights principles apply in the context of climate change? ............................................ 7
How can human rights be integrated in climate-change related actions? ......................................... 9
What actions have been taken by international human rights mechanisms so far? ....................... 10
What steps should be taken going forward? .................................................................................... 12
Part II: Which human rights are most affected by climate change? .............................................. 13
The right to life.................................................................................................................................. 13
The right to self-determination ........................................................................................................ 14
The right to development ................................................................................................................. 15
The right to food ............................................................................................................................... 16
The right to water and sanitation ..................................................................................................... 17
The right to health ............................................................................................................................ 18
The right to housing .......................................................................................................................... 19
The right to education ...................................................................................................................... 19
The right to meaningful and informed participation ........................................................................ 20
The rights of those most affected by climate change....................................................................... 22
The rights of future generations ....................................................................................................... 24
Part III: Realizing human rights in a warming world ..................................................................... 26
Recommendations from the full-day panel discussion on climate change ...................................... 27
1
Submission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the 21st Conference of the
Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Page 1 of 28