Climate Change as a Human Rights Issue: Litigating Climate Change in the United Nations Human Rights Committee

Abstract

When placed side by side, the Human Right Law and Environmental law seem to have evolved as a separate entity. This is largely due to the misconception that the only proprietary right a man has is purely fundamental i.e., rights requiring a high degree of protection from the government – unlike environmental actions that are largely based on environmental affairs. 
 One of the greatest threats to human right is climate change. Climate change poses a severe threat to life, adequate standard of living and food which are the basic essentials for human existence. Further to the above, climate change exacerbates water shortages, changes water availability making accessible to water scarcer in more regions across the world. 
 The aim of Environmental Law is to protect the environment and form abiding rules to protect the environment from harm and humans from harm. Human Rights Law on the other hand is a series of international rules largely established by treaty on the basis of which individuals can claim certain right that must be respected and other rights as lawfully provided as fundamental.
 Based on the aforesaid, this article would address the valance between environmental law and the human right law in addressing the impacts and the implications of climate change in or contemporary world. it would also focus on litigating climate change before the United Nations.