Towards a Universal Climate Justice through a Human Rights-Based Approach

The United Nations’ historical recognition of the right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment while strengthening the acknowledgement of the link between the protection of human rights and the environment under international law, highlights the urgency of the escalating effects of climate change on people’s lives and their fundamental rights. Along with widespread pollution and biodiversity reduction, climate change is now, in fact, one of the most serious threats to people’s health and their living environment, making it a significant obstacle to the UN 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In light of relevant scientific evidence on the current global warming status and trends, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recently emphasised the need to prioritise rights-based approaches in addressing climate change, including mitigation and adaptation measures. Hence, the study aims to explore how advancing a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) towards climate environmental issues may be instrumental in supporting international and national efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect people’s rights, and achieve sustainable development. By presenting rights-based climate litigation, it will be further possible to demonstrate how international human rights and climate change law have recently evolved while offering various insights into its impacts on creating a pathway towards universal climate justice.