Addressing climate change through sustainable development and the promotion of human rights
This paper sets out the relevance of international human rights obligations in light of the multiple constraints climate change poses to the sustainable development of developing countries. These legally binding obligations have been agreed upon by states since the creation of the United Nations and are incorporated in widely ratified human rights treaties. Legal human rights obligations specifically require states to act to protect peoples and individuals from violations of their human rights and for states to cooperate to this end. Climate change will impact a wide range of these human rights and could potentially lead to their serious and widespread violation.