CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Executive Summary It has long been recognized that a clean, healthy and functional environment is integral to the enjoyment of human rights, such as the rights to life, health, food and an adequate standard of living. Anthropogenic climate change is the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural environment and human societies the world has ever experienced. The latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describes how observed and predicted changes in climate will adversely affect billions of people and the ecosystems, natural resources, and physical infrastructure upon which they depend. These harmful impacts include sudden-onset events that pose a direct threat to human lives and safety, as well as more gradual forms of environmental degradation that will undermine access to clean water, food, and other key resources that support human life. As a consequence, climate change will have a profound effect on the enjoyment of human rights for individuals and communities across the planet. This is not merely an abstract, future possibility. Climate change is already affecting temperatures, hydrologic conditions, ecosystem functioning, and agricultural productivity in many regions. Displacement is also an imminent prospect for some communities, such as those situated in the rapidly melting Arctic and low-lying coastal areas. Further complicating the picture, measures undertaken to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change can themselves adversely affect the enjoyment of human rights. The international community has pledged to allocate or direct $100 billion (US) per year to funding mitigation and adaptation projects in developing nations. It is critical that as the world endeavors to address climate change, it do so with full respect for human rights. This report describes how governments and other actors may address climate change in a manner consistent with their obligations to respect, protect, promote and fulfill human rights. One key goal is to inform the decisions undertaken by the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC). However, the analysis and recommendations set forth in this report are not limited to the current round of international climate negotiations. Another key goal is to inform decisions and actions undertaken by nations, sub-national governments, international organizations and private actors pursuing climate action both within and beyond the context of the UNFCCC in the coming years. Part I describes the latest projections and observations of how climate change impacts and responses can affect the environment, individuals and communities. Some of the key findings include: • The impacts of climate change on freshwater resources, ecosystems, and human settlements are already undermining access to clean water, food, shelter, and other basic human needs; interfering with livelihoods; and displacing people from their homes. Even if we remain within the international goal of 2° C of global warming, these impacts will expand dramatically in the coming decades. • These impacts constitute a serious interference with the exercise of fundamental human rights, such as the rights to life, health, water, food, housing, and an adequate standard of living. • Mitigation, adaptation, and geoengineering measures can also adversely affect the exercise of human rights. For example, there are documented instances of hydroelectric and biofuel projects that have resulted in human rights violations. There is also a high risk of human rights violations resulting from the implementation of resettlement programs for those who are displaced or at risk of displacement due to climate change, and a corresponding need to ensure that such programs are undertaken with adequate input and consent from those who are relocated. Part II summarizes the obligations of governments and private actors to respond to these impacts. This section begins by reviewing how UN agencies and national governments have come to understand the relationship v iii