Climate Change and Natural Disasters: Obstacles to Achieving the Right to a Healthy Environment

Rasool Mogooei

PhD Student in International Relations, University of Isfahan

Each year, a large number of people around the world, particularly in vulnerable areas such as tropical, volcanic, forested, mountainous, and coastal regions, are displaced or lose their lives due to natural disasters. These individuals are deprived of fundamental human rights, including the right to life, the right to shelter, and consequently, access to clean water, nutritious food, and the right to live in a safe environment. The right to a healthy environment is recognized as a fundamental human right, reflecting key values such as the right to life, the right to health, and the right to live with dignity. It is closely linked to the prerequisites for the survival of the present and future generations (Dashti & Roham, 2023).

In recent years, climate change has emerged as a primary factor undermining the right to a healthy environment for many across the globe. The gradual warming of the Earth and subsequent climate variations have led to significant environmental shifts. Polar ice is melting, causing ocean and sea levels to rise. Desert regions experience unprecedented snowfall, severe droughts plague certain areas, and wildfires have intensified. As a result, climate change effectively threatens the right to life, the right to a healthy environment, and food security worldwide.

The relationship between climate change and the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters can be attributed to several factors:

1. Changes in Precipitation Patterns: Climate change can result in severe droughts in some areas and unusual rainfall in others, directly impacting agriculture and livestock, thereby threatening food security.
2. Intensification of Severe Storms: As global temperatures rise and ocean waters warm, more energy is available for the formation of storms and hurricanes, placing coastal populations at direct risk.
3. Increased Temperatures and Heatwaves: Scientific data shows that between 1900 and 2000, the average global temperature increased by 0.6°C (Moalemi, 2018). This prolonged periods of extreme heat throughout the year, even affecting winters, leading to increased mortality rates, particularly among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and those with preexisting health conditions.
4. Depletion of Freshwater Resources: Two-thirds of the global population live in regions that receive only one-quarter of the world’s annual rainfall (People & Planet, 2002). As climate-induced droughts become more frequent, access to freshwater in already water-scarce regions becomes increasingly difficult.

Given these realities, governments—largely responsible for global warming due to industrial activities and the consumption of fossil fuels—have been compelled, under international conventions, to mitigate the effects of fossil fuel use, assist vulnerable regions, reduce the likelihood of natural disasters, and ultimately provide the necessary infrastructure and resources to manage and alleviate the consequences of these disasters. Key conventions addressing these responsibilities include:

1. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): This program coordinates environmental activities, with a special focus on combating climate change, especially in developing countries, and addresses a wide range of environmental issues including seas, wetlands, forests, and climate.
2. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): Adopted in 1992 during the Rio Conference in Brazil, this convention aims to control the emission of greenhouse gases, thereby mitigating their harmful effects.
3. Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage associated: The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage, adopted in 2013, focuses on compensating for and managing the adverse effects of climate change (UN Climate Change, n.d.).
4. Kyoto Protocol: Adopted in 1997, this protocol tasked countries with specific responsibilities to control the emission of dangerous gases.
5. Paris Agreement: As one of the most significant and recent climate-related conventions, adopted in 2015, this agreement assigns obligations to member states, particularly industrial nations like the United States and China, which have the highest greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite these conventions, climate change remains beyond human control. Countries, particularly developed ones led by the United States, argue that developing nations should also reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Conversely, developing countries, led by China, assert that industrial nations have already played their part in polluting the Earth, and now that other nations seek to achieve similar levels of development, climate change is being used as a pretext to slow their progress. This political struggle has not only exacerbated the climate crisis but has also deepened its impacts on humanity.

In addition to governmental responsibilities, citizens also bear responsibilities to ensure that future generations do not lose their right to a healthy environment, including access to clean air, water, and food. These responsibilities include:

1. Raising awareness of the dangers of climate change;
2. Educating others about their environmental rights as citizens;
3. Being mindful of resource consumption, such as water;
4. Reducing waste production;
5. Promoting tree planting;
6. Using fewer fossil fuel-dependent vehicles;
7. Informing others about the risks of living in high-risk climate zones;
8. And many other responsibilities.

References
Dashti, F., & Roham, E. (2023). The Position of the Right to a Healthy Environment in International Law. Public Law Studies Quarterly, 2(8), 87–97.
Moalemi, B. (2018). Climate Change. Tehran: Technical Publications of Iran (Nardeban).
UN Climate Change. (n.d.). Available at https://unfccc.int/topics/adaptation-and-resilience/workstreams/loss-and-damage/warsaw-international-mechanism
People & Planet. (2002). Available at http://www.peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=671&section=14