Human rights can be a ‘strong lever for progress’ in climate change, says UN rights chief

Speaking astatine the Human Rights Council successful Geneva, High Commissioner Volker Türk asked Member States whether capable was being done to support radical from the escalating impacts of clime alteration  

“Are we taking the steps needed to support radical from clime chaos, safeguard their futures and negociate earthy resources successful ways that respect quality rights and the environment?” asked delegates astatine the ongoing league of the Human Rights Council successful Geneva.  

His reply was elemental – we are not doing astir enough.  

Mr. Türk emphasised that portion clime alteration presents dire risks quality rights – particularly for the astir susceptible – it besides tin beryllium a beardown lever for progress.  

Central to this is simply a “just transition” distant from environmentally destructive activities.  

“What we request present is simply a roadmap that shows america however to rethink our societies, economies and authorities successful ways that are equitable and sustainable,” helium said.  

The close to decent work 

One of the main avenues done which the Council – UN’s highest intergovernmental assemblage connected quality rights – examined the transportation betwixt quality rights and clime alteration was the close to decent work.

“Because of clime change, the precise quality close of decent enactment is fundamentally challenged today,” said Moustapha Kamal Gueye, a elder authoritative astatine the International Labor Organization (ILO).

He warned that 80 cardinal full-time jobs volition nary longer beryllium successful 2030 if the satellite continues its existent clime trajectory. More than 70 per cent of the planetary workforce – 2.4 cardinal workers – volition beryllium exposed to excessive vigor astatine immoderate constituent connected the job.  

These alarming statistic underscored the urgent request for robust societal extortion systems, including societal security, for workers arsenic the clime situation continues to intensify, Mr. Gueye said. Less than 9 per cent of workers successful the 20 astir climate-impacted countries person immoderate signifier of societal protection.  

“From a clime resilience perspective, nations are acold from achieving the quality close to societal protection,” Mr. Gueye said. “Investments successful societal extortion request to beryllium scaled up, and this indispensable determination from shock-responses to institutionalised and rights-based approaches.”

On a much hopeful note, helium added, a displacement towards low-carbon economies tin perchance make implicit 100 cardinal caller jobs by 2030. However, helium cautioned that, that these jobs whitethorn not look wherever others are lost, reinforcing the request for beardown information nets and planning.  

‘Defossilize’ the system and knowledge

Elisa Morgera, the UN peculiar rapporteur connected quality rights and clime change, besides presented her latest report, which calls for “defossilization” of economies. Phasing retired fossil fuels, she said, is the astir effectual mode to trim clime impacts portion protecting quality rights.

Of course, this is not a elemental task, arsenic Ms. Morgera noted that fossil fuels person invaded each parts of our lives and economies.  

“Fossil fuels are everywhere: successful our nutrient systems, successful our water and successful our bodies, including successful our brains – successful galore cases without america knowing oregon choosing for them to beryllium successful our lives,” Ms. Morgera said.  

Ms. Morgera – who is mandated and appointed by the Human Rights Council, and is not a UN unit subordinate – besides stressed the request to “defossilize knowledge,” noting however fossil substance interests person distorted nationalist knowing and attacked clime defenders.

While geopolitical divisions whitethorn dilatory progress, she insisted that enactment tin statesman present astatine each level. “We tin nourish anticipation and stock factual learning that tin animate a people correction, wrong the existent decade, toward a harmless clime for all.” 

A people-centred approach

Mr. Türk concluded his remarks reinforcing that a conscionable modulation indispensable guarantee nary 1 is near behind.

“If we don’t safeguard people’s lives, their health, their jobs and their aboriginal opportunities, the modulation volition replicate and exacerbate the injustices and inequalities successful our world,” helium said.  

Mr. Gueye echoed that message: “The planetary clime docket is simply a quality communicative and it is astir quality rights. The ambition that nations and the planetary assemblage question cannot beryllium confined to numerical targets and indicators – it indispensable fundamentally beryllium astir people.”