Living in a healthy environment is a human right, the UN Human Rights Council ruled today. For the first time, it was made clear that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is one of the necessary conditions for a good life. At the same time, the Council called on states worldwide to help make the newly recognized right a reality.
In her statement, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on the Member States to take bold action to fulfill the right to a healthy environment. She said she was pleased that the new decision “clearly recognizes environmental degradation and climate change as interconnected human rights crises.”
“Bold action is now required to ensure this resolution on the right to a healthy environment serves as a springboard to push for transformative economic, social, and environmental policies that will protect people and nature,” Commissioner Bachelet added.
“Around the world, people who defend their communities’ environment and the rights to clean air and water are silenced, intimidated, attacked, and often murdered. Recognizing a healthy environment as a human right is an important step towards alleviating today’s crisis,” commented Martin Skalsky of Arnika on the decision.
The text, proposed by Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia, and Switzerland, was adopted by 43 votes, with four abstentions from Russia, India, China, and Japan. At the same time, the Council considered the human rights implications of climate change and appointed a special rapporteur on the issue.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 24% of all global deaths, some 13.7 million a year, are linked to environmental conditions due to risks such as air pollution and chemical exposure.
Sources:
United Nations news: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102582
