Promotion and protection of human rights in the context of mitigation, adaptation, and financial actions to address climate change, with particular emphasis on loss and damage

The document outlines how climate-induced loss and damage (L&D) violates fundamental human rights and calls for the establishment of a Loss and Damage Finance Facility (LDFF) and the operationalization of the Santiago Network (SNLD) based on human rights standards. It highlights specific examples of L&D in South Africa, India, Pakistan, and the Arctic, arguing that wealthy nations have an extraterritorial obligation to provide compensation and support. The authors advocate for inclusive Loss and Damage Needs Assessments (LDNAs), universal social protection schemes, and legal protections for climate-induced displacement.

• Climate-induced loss and damage (L&D) is already causing severe violations of human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, housing, and self-determination, particularly for marginalized groups. In South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province in 2022, floods resulted in 461 deaths, over 22,000 houses destroyed or damaged, and 630 affected schools.
• Extreme heatwaves in India and Pakistan in 2022, with temperatures exceeding 50°C, caused deaths and school closures, with women and people in poverty disproportionately affected due to limited access to cooling.
• Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic and those in low-lying islands face irreversible losses of culture, traditional livelihoods, and territory, threatening their right to self-determination.
• Wealthy States have an extraterritorial obligation under international human rights law to provide financial means, technical support, and compensation to people in developing countries affected by L&D.
• The authors propose the establishment of a Loss and Damage Finance Facility (LDFF) by COP27, to be fully operational by COP29, funded by countries with historic responsibility and innovative sources like a Climate Damages Tax or levies on international shipping and air travel.
• Effective L&D responses require inclusive and participatory Loss and Damage Needs Assessments (LDNAs) that capture non-economic losses and are informed by the affected communities.
• The Santiago Network (SNLD) and the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) must be operationalized with a focus on human rights and action rather than just dialogue and knowledge enhancement.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2022). Promotion and protection of human rights in the context of mitigation, adaptation, and financial actions to address climate change, with particular emphasis on loss and damage. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Amnesty-and-CIEL-Submission-to-SR-HRCC-on-LD-June-2022.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Promotion and protection of human rights in the context of mitigation, adaptation, and financial actions to address climate change, with particular emphasis on loss and damage. 2022. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Amnesty-and-CIEL-Submission-to-SR-HRCC-on-LD-June-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Promotion and protection of human rights in the context of mitigation, adaptation, and financial actions to address climate change, with particular emphasis on loss and damage |date=June 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Amnesty-and-CIEL-Submission-to-SR-HRCC-on-LD-June-2022.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2022promotion, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Promotion and protection of human rights in the context of mitigation, adaptation, and financial actions to address climate change, with particular emphasis on loss and damage}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Amnesty-and-CIEL-Submission-to-SR-HRCC-on-LD-June-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }