CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Continued Focus on Environmental Protection and Conservation – A continued focus on environmental protection and conservation will be necessary to address the potential effects of climate change on ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources. As such, governmental and private actors should remain dedicated to these goals—for example, through the ongoing and enhanced implementation of MEAs, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. 4.2 National Measures National Mitigation – Regardless of what happens within the UNFCCC, countries should continue to pursue domestic GHG reductions to the greatest extent practicable and with a target of achieving a net zero carbon economy, as this will be necessary to safeguard the human rights of persons both within and outside of their territory. National Adaptation Planning – Countries should consider how to align human rights and climate change adaptation objectives. One approach would be to pursue an integrated response to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, in order to better safeguard human rights in the face of climate-related disasters. National planners should also pursue adaptation measures with environmental and social co-benefits, such as ecosystem-based adaptation, which refers to the conservation, sustainable management and restoration of natural ecosystems to help people adapt to climate change. Decision-makers can refer to UNEP’s Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Guidance for additional information on this approach.291 Finally, countries must ensure that they do not discriminate against marginalized groups in all adaptation planning activities and in responses to climate-related hazards and disasters. National Adoption of Human Rights Protections – Countries should incorporate human rights norms into their domestic legal frameworks, including (but not limited to) laws that specifically address climate change. This could include, for example, specific provisions to ensure that the affected public has knowledge of and an adequate opportunity to comment on proposals for domestic mitigation and adaptation policies. In developing domestic policies, countries can consult with existing MEAs, the Bali Guidelines Bali Guidelines for the Development of National Legislation on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, and a Compilation of Good Practices published earlier this year by the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment,292 among other resources. 4.3 Local Governments and Private Actors Local Governments – Local governments should undertake measures to reduce GHG emissions within their jurisdiction and pursue adaptation objectives in a manner that is mindful of human rights. As with national governments, local governments should ensure that adaptation responses are non-discriminatory, consider integrating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction programs, and pursue adaptation measures with environmental and social co-benefits, such as ecosystem-based adaptation. Private Sector - Private actors also have important roles to play in addressing climate change and protecting human rights. They can place pressure on national governments to adopt more ambitious policies and cooperate in international negotiations, and can also undertake their own initiatives to reduce their carbon foot print and ensure that they respect human rights in all of their activities. In particular, large businesses should adopt policies that correspond with the recommendations set forth in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. 291 UNEP, Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Decision Support Framework, http://www.unep.org/climatechange/adaptation/EbA/EBADecisionSupportFramework/ tabid/102163/Default.aspx (last visited Oct. 20, 2015). 292 Knox, Compilation of Good Practices (2015), supra note 253. 42 R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S