Human Rights and Climate Change
The connection between climate change and human rights is beginning to get fuller attention. The Cancun Agreements (FCCC/AWGLCA/2010/L.7, paras 93-4) call for submissions on “a forum on the impact of the implementation of response measures.” On behalf of Berkeley’s International Human Rights Law Clinic, Zoe Loftus-Farren and Cáitrín McKiernan have offered a submission, suggesting that the UNFCCC mandate an internal process to support states in the development and implementation of climate policy. The process– to include the full range of stakeholders — including state representatives, international human rights and humanitarian agencies, and civil society — would ensure that all mitigation and adaptation policies incorporate international human rights standards and best practices.
At the Copenhagen climate meeting, a previous version of the paper was presented, edited by Berkeley’s Laurel Fletcher and Alice Miller, along with Michelle Leighton at USF and Cymie Payne, currently at Lewis & Clark.
Cara Horowitz
Ethan Elkind
Richard Frank
Dan Farber
Holly Doremus
Steven Weissman
Timothy Malloy
Ann Carlson
Jonathan Zasloff
Sean Hecht
Eric Biber
Rhead Enion
Guest Blogger
Alex Wang
Jayni Foley Hein
Matthew E. Kahn
Dan,
Would kindly explain to us the specific details of the relationship between climate change and human rights?
Since Dan has not responded, I will answer my question:
Any relationship between human rights and climate change is dependent upon the highly speculative and unproven belief that carbon dioxide is the driving force, and that that
climate can be controlled by regulating carbon dioxide emissions.
If the driving force in climate change is in fact another natural parameter such as solar radiation, water vapor, natural cycles, etc. (or if humanity cannot control climate), then there is no connection to human rights.
Dan’s post above is about a very familiar political tactic to invent some sort of a political relationship between human rights and climate change. The U.S. House of Representatives is trying to stop federal funding for this type of project.