Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment

CIEL supports the Special Rapporteur's findings that the triple planetary crisis disproportionately affects women and girls due to intersecting structural inequalities. The statement argues that protecting these rights requires States to rapidly phase out fossil fuel extraction, consumption, and trade, and to implement moratoriums on new petrochemical facilities. It specifically highlights the health risks of microplastics for women and calls for a human rights-based approach in the negotiations of a plastics treaty.

• The triple planetary crisis—comprising pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change—negatively impacts the rights of women and girls by intersecting with patriarchal norms, structural inequality, and gender-based discrimination.
• Fossil fuels and the petrochemical industry are key drivers of climate change and environmental degradation, creating "sacrifice zones" where human rights violations and environmental damage intersect.
• To protect the rights of women and girls, States should rapidly phase out the trade, consumption, and extraction of fossil fuels and stop issuing licenses for new or expanded petrochemical facilities.
• Microplastics are more likely to accumulate in women and cause adverse health effects, necessitating a human rights-based approach focused on women and girls within the negotiations and provisions of a plastics treaty.
• The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and other Treaty Bodies are performing essential work in defining State obligations regarding environmental crises and fossil fuels.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2023). Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HRC52-ID-UNSR-Env-Statement_CIEL_March-2023.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. 2023. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HRC52-ID-UNSR-Env-Statement_CIEL_March-2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment |date=9 March 2023 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HRC52-ID-UNSR-Env-Statement_CIEL_March-2023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2023interactive, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HRC52-ID-UNSR-Env-Statement_CIEL_March-2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }