States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change: CESCR

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights examines how the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) interprets state obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in relation to climate change.

• The ICESCR, ratified by 166 States, mandates that parties use the maximum of their available resources to progressively realize economic, social, and cultural rights. Specific rights identified as particularly threatened by climate change include the right to an adequate standard of living (including food and housing), the right to water, the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and the right not to be deprived of one's own means of subsistence.
• In General Comment No. 15 (2002), the CESCR specified that states must implement integrated strategies and programmes to ensure safe and sufficient water for future and present generations, which includes assessing how climate change impacts natural-ecosystems watersheds and water availability.
• The CESCR has increasingly referenced climate change in its Concluding Observations and Lists of Issues over the last decade. The Committee frequently notes that climate impacts threaten Covenant-protected rights, with a particular focus on the disproportionate impacts on indigenous peoples and groups in vulnerable situations, such as small-scale fishers in the Philippines.
• The CESCR has urged states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition away from fossil fuels. Specific recommendations include setting time-bound benchmarks for emission reductions, pursuing renewable energy, and reviewing support for coal exports and mines. The Committee has also expressed concern over the human rights impacts of fossil fuel extraction and the use of non-conventional fossil energies.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change: CESCR. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HRTBs-synthesis-report-CESCR.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change: CESCR. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HRTBs-synthesis-report-CESCR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change: CESCR |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HRTBs-synthesis-report-CESCR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndstates, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change: CESCR}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HRTBs-synthesis-report-CESCR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }