Submitted by lratledge on
Nearly all of the rights of children are impacted in some way by climate change. Some of the core international treaties explicitly frame their provisions in terms of environmental rights, while other treaties include rights that apply in the context of climate change. Increased malnutrition, the destruction of habitats and the exposure of children to diseases related to change in climate all clearly engage the right to health, to an adequate standard of living as well as the right to life, survival and development. Climate change may also cause internal displacement or create refugees, triggering States’ well established obligations with respect to these issues. These situations may give rise to new applications of rights, but they are addressed by the extensive obligations States have committed themselves to under existing treaties.
