Britain and the United States are among a few countries withholding support for a proposal brought at the United Nations that would recognise access to a safe and healthy environment as a human right, prompting criticism that they are undermining their own pledges ahead of the Glasgow climate conference.
The World Health Organization estimates that some 13.7 million deaths a year, or around 24.3 % of the total, are due to environmental risks such as air pollution and chemical exposure.
The evidence is overwhelming that these environmental challenges are directly affecting people’s enjoyment of fundamental human rights
Globally, the number of climate-related litigation cases has soared in the past few years and more are invoking human rights to support their arguments.
