Put justice at heart of climate change action, Commission tells Human Rights Council

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva that action on climate change “must put justice and equity at the heart of responses.”

Professor Alan Miller, Chair of the Commission, delivered the statement calling for climate justice to be integrated into the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Describing how climate justice offers a “human-centred approach” that “encourages greater public participation”, the Commission’s statement also calls for climate justice to be integrated into international climate negotiations due to culminate in Paris at the end of the year.

Pointing to the “stark reality that we all need to do more” to address the challenges of climate change, Professor Miller draws attention to commitments in Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights. These will “ensure the Scottish Parliament and Government can be held to account within Scotland and beyond for taking further steps to championing climate justice in the areas of mitigation, adaptation, sharing of renewable energy technology and further development.”

Notes

  1. The Scottish Human Rights Commission is an independent public body with a remit to promote and protect human rights for everyone in Scotland. It is accredited as an “A status” national human rights institution within the UN system.
  2. The 28th session of the Human Rights Council takes place from 2 to 27 March at the UN headquarters in Geneva. Today’s statement from the Commission is part of a full day’s discussion on climate change. Further information can be found here.
  3. Scotland's National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP) was launched on 10 December 2013 and sets out a roadmap to realising human rights for everyone in Scotland.
  4. You can watch Professor Alan Miller deliver the statement here (begins 1:43:40).
  5. Professor Alan Miller spoke to BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme today about climate change and human rights. You can listen to the interview here (begins around 6.50am).