Abuja – Recognising the link between climate change and human rights is an important step toward protecting the fundamental rights of communities across the globe, a new report issued by the United Nations, has said.
A statement by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) said the report was presented to the Paris climate conference.
A copy of the report was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday
Released on Human Rights Day, ahead of a new climate agreement, the report said climate change and human rights provided a comprehensive study of the link between human rights laws and climate change.
It said that anthropogenic (human activities responsible for climate change) was the largest, most pervasive threat to the natural environment and human rights of our time.
“The far-reaching environmental impacts of climate change are already being felt, posing potential threat to human rights across the world, including the rights to health, food and an adequate standard of living.’’
The statement quoted Mr Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, as saying that climate change was already having direct impact on humans and settlements through the degradation of ecosystems and resources.
“We will see its impacts continue to affect human rights of millions of people as conditions worsen.
“This new research sheds light on the link between climate change and human rights and can serve as a reference point for climate action beyond the stepping stone of the Paris agreement,’’ Steiner said.
Meanwhile, UNEP has said that Angola, which is seeking to conserve its biodiversity-rich wild lives and rebuild its elephant population, will host the 2016 World Environmental Day (WED).
World Environmental Day is marked on June 5 of every year.
UNEP said in a statement that the theme for the 2016 WED would centre around “the fight against illegal wildlife trade.’’
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The statement said that the number of elephants killed in Africa in recent years was greater than 20,000 a year, out of a population of 420,000 to 650,000.
“According to data from the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, as many as 100,000 elephants were killed between 2010 and 2012.
“Across Africa, more elephants have been killed in recent years than have died of natural causes and for forest elephants in Central and West Africa, the population declined by an estimated 60 per cent between 2002 and 2011.
“Official reports show that 1,215 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone in 2014 – this translates to one rhino killed every eight hours.
“ The rapid rise in rhino poaching, from less than 20 in 2007 has been driven by the involvement of organized syndicates in the poaching and trafficking of wildlife products,’’ it said. (NAN)
