“The climate crisis is the biggest threat to our survival as a species and is already threatening human rights around the world.” Global temperatures are rising due to greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity. Increased temperatures are directly contributing to harmful effects, such as droughts, floods, sea-level rises, heatwaves, extreme weather events, loss of biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystems. Climate change poses a threat not just to human life, but to all life. It already affects the human rights of countless persons and the impacts are only getting worse.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees that all human beings are entitled to a social and international order in which their rights and freedoms can be fully realized. Climate change threatens this order and the rights and freedoms of all people. Without drastic action now, it will create dreadful harm. International cooperation and solidarity are vital for climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is equally important to approach climate action from a human rights perspective, as “human rights obligations, standards and principles have the potential to inform and strengthen international, regional and national policymaking in the area of climate change, promoting policy coherence, legitimacy and sustainable outcomes”.