THE HUMAN RIGHT TO THE ENVIRONMENT
The right to a healthy environment is a fundamental human right. The close link between environment and standard of living means that this right is a sine qua non condition of the enjoyment and exercise of other rights. This, therefore, is an emerging human right of utmost importance.
The Declaration of Emerging Human Rights recognises this right in article 3:
All human beings and every community have the right to live in a healthy, balanced and safe environment, to enjoy the biodiversity present in the world, and to defend the maintenance and continuity of their surroundings for the future generations.
At present, the challenge of climate change is the greatest environmental problem that the international community faces. This phenomenon, as well as being an environmental challenge, is a clear social and economic challenge that affects the enjoyment of human rights as a whole. The interdependence of human rights, as between the right to the environment and the right to development, is clear when we talk of the relationship between climate change and human rights.
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