On July 28, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly recognized a groundbreaking human right: the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. This monumental decision marks a victory for environmental and human rights activists worldwide, but the real challenge lies ahead in its implementation.
Last September, the Environment and ESCR Working Group of the ESCR-Net published this brief, which analyzes the history of the right to a healthy environment, its significance for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, the core principles and state obligations that must guide its implementation, as well as the collective struggles that members of ESCR-Net are advocating for at national, regional, and international levels related to this right.
For decades, the climate crisis has disproportionately impacted marginalized communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples, women, and grassroots activists, many of whom face environmental degradation and violence fueled by extractivism and neoliberal policies. In this blog, we’ll explore the highlights of the document to see why the right to a healthy environment is vital, how it can be realized, and the collective demands needed to create systemic change.
If you’re interested in diving deeper into the details and historical background of this right, read the full brief here.
Why is This Right Important?
Global recognition of the right to a healthy environment is the result of persistent advocacy by civil society groups, progressive governments, and frontline communities who continue to resist powerful interests. The significance of this right goes beyond environmental protection—it’s about justice for those who have suffered due to the exploitative actions of corporations and governments that prioritize profit over peoples.
From the Amazon rainforest to the deserts of Jordan, from rural Colombia to the Ogiek people in Kenya, communities across the world have long asserted that a healthy environment is essential for the realization of economic, social, and cultural rights. Without a sustainable environment, other basic rights such as access to food, clean water, health, and life itself are jeopardized.
What Does This Right Mean for the Frontline Communities?
For Indigenous Peoples, the right to a healthy environment is tied directly to their cultural identity, lands, and traditional ways of life. Fulfillment of their right to a healthy environment helps ensure their right to self-determination and protects their territories from harmful projects. Similarly, for grassroots feminist and women’s movements, this right is crucial for addressing gender inequities embedded in climate and environmental policies. Women are often caretakers of the land and suffer the worst consequences of environmental destruction.