Talk to Human Rights Council In Geneva, the High Commissioner, Volker Türk, asked the Member States so sufficiently done to protect people from climate change impacts.
“” Do we take the necessary measures to protect people from climate chaos, protect their future and manage natural resources so as to respect human rights and the environment? »» asked delegates during the current human rights session in Geneva.
His answer was simple – we don’t do enough.
Türk stressed that if climate change has disastrous risks of human rights – especially for the most vulnerable – it can also be a strong lever for progress.
At the heart of this is a “transition” far from environmental destructive activities.
“” What we need now is a roadmap that shows us how to rethink our societies, economies and policies in a fair and sustainable manner“He said.
The right to decent work
One of the main routes through which the Council – the highest intergovernmental body of the United Nations on human rights – examined the link between human rights and climate change was the right to decent work.
“” Due to climate change, the very human right of decent work is fundamentally challenged today“Said Moustapha Kamal Gueye, a senior official of the International Labor Organization (Ilo).
He warned that 80 million full -time jobs will no longer exist in 2030 if the world continues its current climate trajectory. More than 70% of global workforce – 2.4 billion workers – will be exposed to excessive heat at a given time.
These alarming statistics highlighted the urgent need for robust social protection systems, including social security, for workers while the climate crisis continues to intensify, said Gueye. Less than 9% of workers in the 20 countries most impacted by the climate have a form of social protection.
“” From the point of view of climate resilience, nations are far from achieving human right to social protection“Said Mr. Gueye.Investments in social protection must be extended, which must pass from responses to shocks to institutionalized approaches and based on rights.“”
On a more optimistic note, he added, an evolution towards economies with low carbon content can potentially generate more than 100 million jobs by 2030. However, he warned that these jobs may not emerge when others are lost, strengthening the need for high safety and planning nets.
“Debicate” the economy and knowledge
Elisa Morgera, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change, also presented her latest report, which calls for the “loss” of economies. The suppression of fossil fuels, she said, is the most effective way to reduce climate impacts while protecting human rights.
Of course, this is not a simple task, because Ms. Morgera noted that fossil fuels have invaded all parts of our lives and savings.
“” Fossil fuels are everywhere: in our food systems, in our ocean and in our body, including in our brain – in many cases without our knowing or choosing so that they are in our lives“Said Ms. Morgera.
Ms. Morgera – who is mandated and appointed by the Human Rights Council, and is not a member of the UN staff – also underlined the need to “defose knowledge”, noting how the interests of fossil fuels distorted the understanding of the public and attacked the defenders of the climate.
Although geopolitical divisions can slow down progress, it insisted that action can start now at all levels. “We can feed hope and share a concrete learning that can inspire a course correction in the current decade, towards a safe climate for all.”
A people centered on people
Mr. Türk has concluded his remarks reinforcing that a just transition must ensure that no one is left behind.
“” If we do not protect people’s lives, their health, their work and their future opportunities, the transition will happen again and exacerbate injustices and inequalities in our world“He said.
Mr. Gueye echoes this message: “The global climate program is a human story and it is human rights. The ambition that the nations and the global community are looking for cannot be confined to digital targets and indicators – It must be fundamentally concerned people. »»
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
