Climate Change & Human Rights

This guide by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) examines the intersection of climate change and international human rights law. It details how climatic phenomena and the measures taken to mitigate or adapt to them can infringe upon fundamental rights, particularly for vulnerable populations such as indigenous peoples, women, and children. The document outlines key international milestones—including UN Human Rights Council resolutions and the Cancun Agreements—and advocates for a rights-based approach to be integrated into the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) processes.

• Climate change manifestations directly impact human populations and their livelihoods through various environmental phenomena. Rising sea-levels and storms lead to flooding, population displacement, and the salinization of fresh-water resources. Increased surface temperatures contribute to the spread of diseases, including scrub typhus and mosquito-borne illnesses. Additionally, changing precipitation patterns and melting glaciers hinder access to water, which negatively affects food security and irrigation.
• Certain groups are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change. Women in the poorest regions often face increased hardship in gathering food, water, and fuel as droughts dry up wells and reduce crop production. Children are more susceptible to natural disasters due to a lack of physical strength and higher rates of being orphaned or separated from families. Indigenous peoples are particularly at risk because their physical and spiritual survival is often tied to the natural environment, and environmental changes can threaten their cultural identity.
• The UN Human Rights Council and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have formally recognized the link between climate change and human rights. Resolution 7/23 (March 2008) and Resolution 10/4 (March 2009) state that climate change poses an immediate threat to people and communities and has implications for the enjoyment of human rights. An OHCHR analytical study concluded that States have obligations under human rights law to protect people from the effects of climate change and must ensure that mitigation and adaptation efforts comply with these duties.
• The Cancun Agreements, adopted by Parties to the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol in December 2010, represent a significant step in integrating human rights into the climate regime. The Cancun LCA decision recognizes that the adverse effects of climate change are felt most acutely by vulnerable populations—including those defined by geography, gender, age, disability, or indigenous/minority status—and emphasizes that Parties should fully respect human rights in all climate change-related actions.
• Climate mitigation and adaptation measures can themselves infringe upon human rights if not implemented with a rights-based approach. For example, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol may cause community displacement, and the lack of free and prior informed consent for indigenous peoples can aggravate these impacts. Similarly, REDD+ programs (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) could lead to the displacement of traditional occupants if national governments establish protected areas over forests used by indigenous peoples.
• CIEL recommends several concrete steps to operationalize the link between climate change and human rights. These include creating a process within the UNFCCC to address communications from individuals or communities whose rights are affected, establishing a dedicated Special Procedure on Climate Change and Human Rights (CC&HRs) for better coherence, and developing a legally binding agreement by 2015 to protect people from the harms of climate change and associated response measures.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Climate Change & Human Rights. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CC_HRE_8July2013.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Climate Change & Human Rights. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CC_HRE_8July2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Climate Change & Human Rights |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CC_HRE_8July2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndclimate, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Climate Change \& Human Rights}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CC_HRE_8July2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }