CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Conclusion Climate change and responses to climate change will have a profound effect on the exercise of human rights for millions and perhaps billions of people across the world. This will occur through both direct impacts on humans and settlements, as well as through the degradation of the ecosystems and environmental resources upon which many lives and livelihoods depend. States have obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights, and this includes obligations to mitigate domestic GHG emissions, protect citizens against the harmful effects of climate change, and ensure that responses to climate change do not result in human rights violations. Although states have taken important steps towards fulfilling these obligations, there is more to be done. In particular, states need to increase their ambition with respect to both climate change mitigation and adaptation, and work cooperatively to ensure the protection of human rights for all citizens across the world. R E C O M M E N D AT I O N S 43