What is it about?
Environmental damage caused by climate change has become so bad that it is increasingly viewed as a threat to human rights, particularly when it prevents people from living with dignity. Companies are already expected to operate in ways that respect human rights – the United Nations provides ‘Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights’. Here, law researcher Chiara Macchi says that companies should be seeing their environmental impact as a human rights issue.
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Why is it important?
There are legal cases underway in Belgium, Germany, France and the United Kingdom which may result in companies being expected to take more responsibility for the environment, on a human rights basis. In other countries, lawsuits and legal decisions are forcing governments to explain more specifically how climate goals will be met. The European Union is introducing new requirements for the information that companies make available about their operations, and their effects on the environment and human rights. These changes will help tackle climate change by treating environmental damage as a more serious crime, which will make companies try harder to do less harm. KEY TAKEAWAY: Companies and countries are now expected to protect the environment as much as they would protect human rights. They need to be ready to obey new laws in this area.
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The Climate Change Dimension of Business and Human Rights: The Gradual Consolidation of a Concept of ‘Climate Due Diligence’, Business and Human Rights Journal, December 2020, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/bhj.2020.25.
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