Human Rights and Climate Change: UN’s Role in Environmental Justice

Human Rights and Climate Change: UN’s Role in Environmental Justice Surender Kumar¹ Luis Alberto Flores Hernández² Vidya Padmakumar³ Maureen O'Sullivan⁴ Cristiano Carocci⁵ Clare Walker⁶ Ingeborg Mooiweer⁷ Sama A⁸ ALA Fellow, Melbourne University, Australia & India¹, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United States, GOEDFA, UN ECOSOC² , EcoDiversity Lab, New Hazelton, BC, Canadar³, Fellow, Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, University of Galway, Ireland⁴, Political and Cultural Analyst, Italy⁵, Clare Walker Consulting Ltd, England⁶, Hotelschool The Hague, Heemstede, North Holland, Netherlands⁷, Founder & CEO, Sasha Global Consortium (SGC) | Research Associate in Marine Economics & Sustainability Management⁸ Climate change has profound implications for human rights, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including indigenous communities, small island nations, and low-income groups. The United Nations (UN) has played a crucial role in framing climate change as a human rights issue and advocating for environmental justice. This paper examines the intersection of human rights and climate change, highlighting the UN's efforts, including legal frameworks, advocacy, policy interventions, and global initiatives. It also discusses the challenges in implementation, including geopolitical conflicts, lack of legal enforcement, and economic barriers, and suggests pathways for enhancing the UN’s role in ensuring environmental justice through stronger international cooperation, legal mechanisms, and grassroots involvement.