How Climate Change Is Undermining Human Rights Worldwide.

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The climate crisis is posing a serious challenge to human rights worldwide. According to experts, urgent action is required to prevent further harm to basic rights, particularly as in 2025 the global temperature surpassed the limit of 1.5°C for the first time in history.

In 2025, several international institutions, including Human Rights Watch and the European Union, underlined that climate change is contributing to a global decline in human rights across multiple aspects. For instance, the United Nation (UN) Council conducted research on the relationship between the current climate crisis and the right to decent work. Moustapha Kamal Gueye, a senior official at the International Labor Organization (ILO), explained that in the 20 countries most affected by climate change, fewer than 9% of workers have access to any form of social protection. He further stated that if the climate crisis continues at its current pace, 80 million full-time jobs could disappear by 2030. Additionally, 70% of the total global workforce is expected to be exposed to excessive heat while working.

Vulnerable individuals and marginalized communities are the most affected by the climate crisis and are also those that are likely to face the most severe consequences in the future. According to Amnesty International, these groups include small-scale farmers, indigenous peoples, residents of small island developing states, individuals at risk from increasing sea levels and increasingly intense hurricanes, and people living near transportation infrastructure and fossil fuel factories. Pakistan, for example, is among the countries most vulnerable to climate-related disasters despite contributing less than 1% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions. Reports are indicating that rising temperatures and flooding are leading to preventable deaths, especially among elderly people and young children.

One of the most evident consequences of climate injustice is displacement. “Moving is expensive, dangerous, and often unwanted." Professor Joyeeta Gupta told UN News. Despite the reality, climate refugees are still not formally recognized under international law.

Several United Nations officials have stated that by 2030, the transition to low-carbon economies could create more than 100 million new jobs, emphasizing that reducing reliance on fossil fuels is essential to mitigating climate change while safeguarding human rights. However, current challenges, such as the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2025, the global rise in authoritarian policies, and increasing environmental damage caused by the escalating armed conflicts, are preventing progress toward these goals. Moreover, despite the urgency of addressing the climate crisis, individuals who pressure governments and institutions to take meaningful action are increasingly being intimidated, stigmatized, attacked, and criminalized. Environmental human rights defenders around the world are risking their lives and freedom to protect their communities and their right to a healthy environment.

The international community has been urging governments to take decisive action to address the crisis. Amnesty International is advocating for inclusive conversations on global warming that involve those most affected by the phenomenon and ensure their meaningful participation in high-level decision-making without discrimination.UN High Commissioner Volker Türk recently questioned whether Member States are doing enough to protect people from the growing impacts of climate change. As ILO senior official Mr. Gueye stated, “The global climate agenda is a human story and it is about human rights. The ambition that nations and the global community seek cannot be confined to numerical targets and indicators – it must fundamentally be about people.” 

written by Ludovica Muncibì