Human rights and the environment relationship
Recently the relationship between human rights and environment has become so close. The link between the two emphasises that a decent physical environment is essential for living a life with dignity and respect. Additionally, a decent physical environment has to do with protection against, for example, noise nuisance, air pollution, and pollution of surface waters and the dumping of toxic substances.
Environmental degradation and human rights was first placed on the international agenda in 1972, at the UN Conference on the Human Environment. Principle 1 of the ‘Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment’ establishes a foundation for linking human rights and environmental protection, declaring that man has a ‘fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being, and he bears a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations’. As a result of the 1972 Conference, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was set up.
Pollution is the reason for 2 million deaths and billions of diseases annually. All around the world, people experience the negative effects of environmental degradation ecosystems decline, including water shortage, fisheries reduction, natural disasters due to deforestation and unsafe management and disposal of toxic and dangerous wastes and products. Indigenous peoples suffer directly from the degradation of the ecosystems that they rely upon for their livelihoods.
Climate change is intensifying many of these negative effects of environmental degradation on human health and wellbeing and is also causing new ones, including an increase in extreme weather events and an increase in spread of malaria and other vector borne diseases.
These facts clearly show the close relationship between the environment and the enjoyment of human rights, and justify an integrated approach to environment and human rights.
As we mention before, environment is extremely important in our life, that’s why united nation emphasized on it frequently and declared it as a major issue that we need to consider as a crucial part of our life. We need to respect to its right because the effects of it will be vital for our future. We need more laws to protect our environment as human rights forced us to do so and we expect the environmental issues will be taken seriously because as it is obvious, having a healthy nature is essential for ourselves and our offspring as human rights.
