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

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights examines how the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) interprets state obligations under the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC Convention) in relation to climate change, focusing on General Comments and Concluding Observations.

• The CRC Convention contains both implicit and explicit requirements for States to address environmental and climate issues to protect children's rights. Explicit requirements include article 24(2), which mandates considering "dangers and risks of environmental pollution" to ensure the highest attainable standard of health, and article 29(1), which requires education to include "the development of respect for the natural environment".
• The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has used General Comments to specify that climate change is a major threat to children's health and that health concerns must be central to climate strategies. General Comment No. 15 (2013) states that "environmental interventions should, inter alia, address climate change, as this is one of the biggest threats to children’s health and exacerbates health disparities."
• Following a 2016 Day of General Discussion, the CRC endorsed recommendations that States must protect children's rights against global climate change through "urgent and aggressive reductions in greenhouse gases, guided by the best available science." The Committee also advocated for children to be recognized as stakeholders with a right to be heard in UNFCCC decision-making.
• In its State reporting procedure, the CRC has addressed climate-related issues in 24 Concluding Observations over the last ten years. These observations frequently emphasize the need to prevent adverse climate impacts on children, the importance of climate education, and the necessity of children's participation in relevant decisions.
• The CRC's recommendations regarding climate change have primarily targeted developing countries that are most vulnerable to climate impacts. To date, the Committee has not yet evaluated the extent to which CRC Convention obligations require States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent adverse impacts on children's rights.
• The CRC has issued specific Concluding Observations to various States regarding climate change, such as urging the United Kingdom to place children's rights at the center of national and international climate strategies, and expressing concern over the lack of age, gender, and location disaggregated data on climate impacts in Korea.

APA

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

Chicago

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

Wikipedia

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