DERECHOS HUMANOS Y AMBIENTE: DESAFÍOS PARA EL SISTEMA INTERAMERICANO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS

The paper analyzes the convergence of human rights and environmental law, arguing that a healthy environment is a prerequisite for the enjoyment of fundamental human rights. It explores legal tools within the Inter-American System—such as precautionary measures, admissibility exceptions, and state responsibility for third-party actions—to address environmental degradation. Through a comparative analysis of jurisprudence from the Inter-American, African, and European systems, the author demonstrates how rights to life, integrity, property, and information are increasingly interpreted to include environmental dimensions, emphasizing the state's duty of due diligence to prevent harm from industrial activities.

• International human rights law and international environmental law differ in their fundamental approaches: human rights law is 'antropocéntrico' (anthropocentric), while environmental law fluctuates between anthropocentrism and a 'biocéntrico' (biocentric) approach where nature has intrinsic value.
• The Inter-American System has expanded the use of precautionary measures to protect 'identifiable' rather than strictly 'identified' persons, which has been critical for protecting indigenous communities facing threats from hydrocarbon exploration and African palm monocultures in Colombia and Ecuador.
• The Inter-American Commission established a precedent in the San Mateo de Huanchor case (Peru) by admitting a petition based on the ineffectiveness of domestic administrative and criminal remedies to address a public health crisis caused by toxic mining waste.
• State responsibility for environmental violations can be triggered by a lack of 'due diligence' in preventing or treating harms caused by private third parties, requiring states to implement effective regulation, environmental impact studies, and public consultations.
• The Inter-American Court of Human Rights interprets the right to property (Article 21 of the American Convention) to include the communal property rights of indigenous peoples, recognizing their spiritual and cultural connection to ancestral lands and natural resources.
• The right to access information, as seen in the Trillium case (Chile), is essential for democratic control and allows civil society to participate in the design of environmental public policy.
• Comparative jurisprudence from the African Commission (Nigeria/Ogoniland) and the European Court of Human Rights (Turkey, Spain, Russia) confirms that states are responsible for failing to regulate dangerous industrial activities or ignoring known environmental risks that impair the right to life and health.

APA

Orellana, M. A. (n.d.). DERECHOS HUMANOS Y AMBIENTE: DESAFÍOS PARA EL SISTEMA INTERAMERICANO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Morellana_DDHH_Nov07.pdf

Chicago

Orellana, Marcos A. DERECHOS HUMANOS Y AMBIENTE: DESAFÍOS PARA EL SISTEMA INTERAMERICANO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS. Center for International Environmental Law, n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Morellana_DDHH_Nov07.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orellana |first1=Marcos A. |title=DERECHOS HUMANOS Y AMBIENTE: DESAFÍOS PARA EL SISTEMA INTERAMERICANO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Morellana_DDHH_Nov07.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orellanandderechos, author = {Orellana, Marcos A.}, title = {{DERECHOS HUMANOS Y AMBIENTE: DESAFÍOS PARA EL SISTEMA INTERAMERICANO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Morellana_DDHH_Nov07.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }