human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, water, adequate housing and selfdetermination.2 10. In 2009, in its resolution 10/4, the Human Rights Council again noted that climate change has implications for the effective enjoyment of human rights, and stated that the effects will be felt most acutely by those who are already in vulnerable situations. 11. At the beginning of the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, held in Copenhagen in December 2009, 20 UN mandate holders issued a joint statement emphasizing that climate change poses serious threats to the full enjoyment of a broad range of human rights, warning that a weak outcome of the negotiations would threaten to infringe upon those rights and stating that mitigation and adaptation measures should be developed in accordance with human rights norms, including with the participation of affected communities. 12. In 2010, the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC adopted a decision quoting the statements in Human Rights Council resolution 10/4 that the adverse effects of climate change have a range of implications for the effective enjoyment of human rights and that the effects will be felt most acutely by those segments of the population that are already vulnerable. The decision stated that “Parties should, in all climate change related actions, fully respect human rights.”3 13. Since then, the Human Rights Council has repeatedly adopted resolutions reiterating its concerns about the effects of climate change on human rights, particularly those of the most vulnerable. For example, “climate change poses an immediate and far-reaching threat to people and communities around the world and has adverse implications for the full enjoyment of human rights.”4 14. In 2014, 27 special rapporteurs and other independent experts issued a joint letter on the implications of climate change for human rights, which stated in part: A safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment is indispensable to the full enjoyment of human rights, including rights to life, health, food, water and housing, among many others.... The most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) brings into sharp focus the grave harm that climate change is already causing, and will continue to cause, to the environment on which we all depend. There can no longer be any doubt that climate change interferes with the enjoyment of human rights recognised and protected by international law.5 
 15. On Human Rights Day, 10 December 2014, all of the UN human rights mandate holders came together to issue a joint statement on climate change and human rights, which stated: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our generation with consequences that transform life on earth and adversely impact the livelihood of many people. It poses great risks and threats to the environment, human health, accessibility and inclusion, access to water, sanitation and food, security, and economic and social development. These impacts of climate change interfere with the effective enjoyment of human rights. In particular, climate change has a disproportionate effect on many disadvantaged, marginalized, 2 A/HRC/10/61. Decision 1/CP.16, para. 8, FCCC/CP/2010/7/Add.1. 4 Human Rights Council resolution 18/22. 5 A new climate change agreement must include human rights protections for all (27 October 2014), http://srenvironment.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Letter-to-UNFCCC-FINAL.pdf 3 3