Henry Hassett

Erin Coen

English 9

10 May 2017

Human Rights and Climate Change

Climate change is a topic that is still widely debated over. Some question whether it’s

existence is legitimate and whether or not humans have any part in its cause. However, the

scientific evidence supporting its existence and linking it to human activities is overwhelming.

Another main issue in relation to climate change is whether the denial of and refusal to take

action on climate change is an issue of human rights, or something to be left up to opinion, or to

individual nations to choose to take action on. However, to ignore climate change goes against

the Declaration of Human Rights because everyone has a right to life and a right to home and

property. By ignoring climate change, we allow for homes and lives to be destroyed.

Climate change is very, very real. It directly impacts people’s lives, their property, and

their homes. All of which every human has the right to, as stated in the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights. Evidence for climate change’s existence is solid: “Global emissions of carbon

dioxide (CO2) — the most common greenhouse gas (GHG) blamed for rising the planet’s

temperature — have grown steadily for more than 150 years” (Karaim). Also, “During the last

25 years the Earth’s average temperature steadily increased — and at increasingly higher

increments — compared to the average temperature from 1880-1910. From 2004-2008, the

increase was about 1.4 degrees F., or nearly double the increase from 1984 to 1988.” Many

people spend a lot of time denying that climate change exists. The Declaration of Human Rights

states that “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.” (Declaration). The right
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to life is likely the most essential human right as no other right is applicable without it. Everyone

has the right to be alive, regardless of who they are, where they live, where they come from, etc.

Millions of people die every year from the effects of climate change. By denying that climate

change exists and refusing to do anything about it, we deny millions of innocent people their

right to live. The declaration also states that “Everyone has the right to own property alone”

(Declaration). Still, people’s homes are flooded in Malaysia and houses are swallowed by the

Atlantic Ocean in the Outer Banks in North Carolina.

Climate change is a threat to people’s right to home and property and their right to life.

“Air pollution kills 3.3 million people a year worldwide, including 55,000 Americans, according

to a new study by an international group of scientists.” (Adams). Air pollution is caused largely

by emissions of greenhouse gases from cars, factories, aviation, etc. While people are dying at

alarming rates due to direct effects from carbon emissions in the atmosphere, others continue to

drive excessively large cars that release huge amounts of exhaust into the air and plow through

gargantuous amounts of gasoline. There are many easy and simple ways for people to

significantly reduce emissions, but everyone would have to participate wholeheartedly. Many

people who suffer most from the effects of climate change are the ones who have the least to do

with causing the problem. “Carbon emissions from America seem to be behind a severe drought

that has led crops to wilt across seven countries in southern Africa. The result is acute

malnutrition for 1.3 million children in the region...” (Kristoff). Americans barely suffer the

effects of carbon emissions but are a major contributor to the global problem. At the same time,

many of the 1.3 million children in southern Africa that suffered and died due to climate change

may have had very little or nothing to do with producing the carbon emissions that ultimately

caused their deaths. “Worldwide, air pollution is implicated in nearly one in eight premature
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deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as in many cancers, according to the

World Health Organization.” (Adams). It is easy to ignore the issue in developed countries,

particularly in urban areas where many of the effects of climate change are masked by the lack of

exposure to natural environments. In reality, climate change is having huge negative effects on

millions of people around the world. To ignore it, we are denying help and resources to the

people who suffer most from its effects. Especially when we have such easy access to the

resources necessary to help these people, it becomes not only an issue of morals, but it is also an

utter defiance of the Declaration of Human Rights.

People spend much time arguing about the cause of climate change. The cause of climate

change has nothing to do with the fact that it is still an issue. Regardless of whether you believe

that we are experiencing a natural lapse in global climate conditions or you understand that it is

caused by carbon emissions and air pollution, it is still a very real issue. “Climate change is as

palpable as a wizened, glassy-eyed child dying of starvation. Like Ranomasy’s 18-month-old

son, Tsapasoa.” (Kristoff). Climate change is as tangible as the people in Malaysia whose homes

have been washed away due to rising sea levels caused by ice melt. Or the children in Africa

who are starving due to drought caused by a change in weather patterns due to climate change.

“Society is not moving fast enough to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, posing grave risks.”

(Gillis). People spend a lot of time arguing over the politics of climate change. They argue over

whose fault it is, and whether humans are causing it or even whether it exists. But it still doesn’t

matter if the climate is changing as vastly as climatologists suggest. Millions of people are still

dying due to climate related factors. “The globe is teetering on the edge of catastrophic change.”

(Silence) There is a growing body of evidence that supports the idea that we will face significant

threats in the future if the global temperature continues to increase at it’s current rate.
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Although consequences we face today are severe, they are nothing compared to what is

due in the future if significant lifestyle changes are made globally. “Most scientists agree that the

effects of global warming will become much more severe if the total increase above pre-

industrial temperature exceeds 3.6° F.” (Global Warming). To put it simply, if the global average

temperature rises 3.6° F or more above pre Industrial-Revolution temperatures, the severity of

these conditions will intensify...greatly. Scientists have forecasted “an additional increase of 3.2°

to 7.2° F (1.8° to 4.0° C) by 2100 if measures are not put in place to reduce human-caused

emissions.” (Global Warming). This poses a huge threat to the lives and homes of future

generations who will be born with the burden of this issue, without even having anything to to do

with the cause of it. “The likely consequences would include killer storms stronger than any in

modern times, the disintegration of large parts of the polar ice sheets and a rise of the sea

sufficient to begin drowning the world's coastal cities before the end of this century, the

scientists declared.” (Gillis).

It is understandable how one might consider it far fetched to imagine a climate as

complex as earths to be changing on the scale that research suggests. One might think that

climate change is simply a natural lapse in the Earth’s climate cycle and not a result of human

actions and therefore, it is not the job of humans to take action against it. In this hypothetical,

climate change is simply a natural part of the Earth’s climate cycle and has nothing to do with

human activities. Because it has nothing to do with human actions, it has nothing to do with

human rights and the issue should be left to individual nations to determine how to take action on

it, or to not take action at all. However, it doesn’t really matter whether humans are the cause for

global warming and climate change. That wouldn’t change the fact the people still die as a result

of it and as humans, we have a moral responsibility to protect people from dangers when we
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have the ability to. The fact that people have died makes it a human rights issue by default. On

top of that, the evidence that suggests that climate change is not a natural part of Earth’ cycle is

still overwhelming.

Climate change is an issue that is very widely debated about and has been an issue for

many years. We have the resources and the ability to save millions of lives and by not doing that,

we’re essentially turning our heads and looking the other way from the millions of children being

starved to death because of a drought caused by our carbon emissions. This topic is extremely

important because not only does it affect people currently, but it affects all of the future

generations unless we do something. People are being born into this world and having this great

burden on them from the day they are born and it becomes their problem when they get older

even though they took no part in the creation of the problem.

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Works Cited

Adams, J. U. (2015, November 13). Air pollution and climate change. CQ Researcher, 25, 961-
984.

Gillis, Justin. "Study Warns of a Perilous Climate Shift within Decades." New York Times, 23
Mar, 2016, pp. A.11, SIRS Issues Researcher.

"Global Warming." Compton's by Britannica, v 6.0. 2009. eLibrary. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.

Karaim, R. (2010, February 1). Climate change. CQ Global Researcher, 4, 25-50. Retrieved
from http://library.cqpress.com/

Kristof, Nicholas. "As Donald Trump Denies Climate Change, these Kids Die of it." SIRS Issues
Researcher, 06 Jan, 2017.

“Silence on Climate Change." Los Angeles Times, 26 May, 2016, pp. A.16, SIRS Issues
Researcher.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 17, 21. 1947. Accessed 7 May 2017