To write a legal analysis on how climate change impacts the right to life OR the right to health. You may choose which topic would be better for such an analysis. Attached in the files are explicit instructions for the paper, as well as many documents that may be useful for you to write the paper.
How climate change impacts the right to life OR the right to health
- Disease: Climate change can also lead to the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. These diseases can be fatal, especially for children and the elderly.
Legal Analysis
There is a growing body of international law that recognizes the impact of climate change on human rights. In 2015, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the relationship between human rights and climate change. This resolution recognized that climate change is a serious threat to human rights, including the right to life.
The right to life is also protected by many national constitutions. For example, the US Constitution guarantees the right to life without due process of law. This right has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to include the right to be free from government-created dangers.
In recent years, there have been a number of legal cases challenging the government's inaction on climate change. In 2020, a group of young people in the Netherlands sued the government for failing to take adequate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, finding that the government had a duty to protect its citizens from the harmful effects of climate change.
Conclusion
Climate change is a serious threat to the right to life. Both international law and national constitutional law recognize the importance of protecting this right. The government has a duty to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
References
- United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 29/11 on the relationship between human rights and climate change (2015)
- Constitution of the United States of America (1789)
- Juliana v. United States of America (2020)
Additional Resources
- Human Rights and Climate Change: A Review of the International Law (2015)
- Climate Change and the Right to Life (2018)
- The Role of Law in Responding to Climate Change (2019)