Climate Law & Policy Project
Protecting the human right to a safe climate.
Protecting the human right to a safe climate.
Human rights are basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled. They include the rights to life, to health and wellbeing, to property, to work and fair remuneration, to residence and movement, and to the benefits of culture. These rights are fundamental and are contained in all human rights systems. Protection for indigenous populations is a sacred commitment of the states and a norm of customary international law. Indigenous rights are particularly relevant in the case of environmental harm because, as several human rights tribunals have recognized, the physical and cultural integrity of indigenous peoples often depends on maintaining the health of the environment in which they live.
Global warming threatens humanity on a massive scale with the very harms human rights were designed to prevent. Indigenous and other vulnerable communities residing in the Arctic, the Andes, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Caribbean, Micronesia and elsewhere are already experiencing many of these harmful impacts. For these communities, the objective of the international climate regime - to prevent dangerous interference with the climate system - is no longer attainable. Unless the wealthy countries of the world act quickly and decisively to curtail their GHG emissions, indigenous and other vulnerable peoples could face the ultimate human rights catastrophe: total destruction of their ancient and venerable cultures. For this reason, several groups of vulnerable peoples have drawn the international community's attention to the connection between global warming and human rights.
CLPP works to protect these rights by helping indigenous and other vulnerable communities advocate for stronger targets, adaptation assistance, and inclusion in policy processes at all levels of government.
More resources on human rights
Download our brochure on global warming and human rights (pdf file).