UN: Special Rapporteur calls for input on how to enhance climate change legislation
The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change (“the Special Rapporteur”) has called for input from States, business enterprises, civil society organisations and intergovernmental organisations on:
- how to enhance climate change legislation;
- how to support climate change litigation; and
- how to advance the principle of intergenerational justice.
The purpose of these inputs is to inform the Special Rapporteur’s report on these topics, which is to be presented to the United Nations General Assembly in October 2023.
Through this report, the Special Rapporteur seeks to understand whether States are incorporating human rights considerations in their legislation and whether they are developing elements of legislation relating to Article 8 of the Paris Agreement. Further, the Special Rapporteur would like to determine whether intergenerational justice has been incorporated into international law, national constitutions, and domestic laws.
The Special Rapporteur’s report follows a recent United Nations Environment Programme report, which found that the current levels of climate ambition, as well as climate action, are inadequate to meet the challenge of climate change. Consequently, various parties have brought cases that seek to compel the enforcement of climate change related laws or to replace them with stronger ones, to extend existing laws to climate change, or to define the relationship between human rights and the impacts of climate change. Evidence of this can be seen in South Africa in cases such as African Climate Alliance and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and Others and Sustaining the Wild Coast NPC and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy and Others.
Inputs must be submitted by 25 May 2023.
- Inputs must be no longer than 2500 words and must be emailed to [email protected].
- Further details can be found here.
This advisory note was prepared by ALT Advisory’s new Climate Justice & Sustainability Practice (CJS). With an emphasis on implementation, monitoring, and impact reporting, CJS aims to build climate-resilience through digital transformation and climate and environmental justice. Find out more here.
Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest, and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].
