STWR - Share The World's Resources

Both social and climate justice must be at the heart of the global response to climate change. This means recognising the right to development through forging a more equitable and equal sharing of the planet’s resources, argues Natalia Cardona.

2nd December 2009 - Published by the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS)

Development and climate change have become inextricably connected. In order to deal with the effects of climate change on development the international community must deal with the issues of inequity and inequalities. The only way to address these emergencies is to forge a more equitable and equal sharing of the planet’s resources; placing the right to development at the heart of these initiatives is not only indispensable but also a matter of justice.

The evidence presented by the development and climate crises is that both bring extreme hardship to the most vulnerable —especially those living in the least developed countries (LDCs) and Small Developing Island States— who did not profit from the fossil fuel driven development of larger economies or from the deregulation of the financial markets. Yet it is these populations who are experiencing increased poverty levels, decreased social protection, and the harsh effects of climate - not those who gained from the economic boom who are in charge. In this regard the financial crisis calls into question the belief that market mechanisms can lead to a “trickle down” effect on wealth or even be an applicable solution to climate change through creating a market of carbon trading. In essence what is good for finance and for GDP growth is not necessarily good for the well being of humanity or the environment. [1]

The Right to Development

Human rights principles set limits to oppression and authoritarianism but also impose obligations on states to uphold economic, social and cultural rights. [2] While the primary human rights obligations of states rest within their jurisdictions, they are also—in the spirit of the UN Charter and applicable international law—required to contribute international cooperation in the full realization of human rights. States must guarantee that their policies are consistent and conducive to the realization of human rights—especially in times of crisis—when negotiating in intergovernmental forums such as the Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, World Bank and the United Nations. [3]

Guaranteeing human rights is inherently tied to dealing with the effects of climate change and the development crisis. In this sense the right to development is an inalienable right that imposes obligations both on individual States - to ensure equal and adequate access to essential resources - and on the international community - to promote fair development policies and effective international cooperation. The right to development was consecrated in the United Nation’s Declaration on the Right to Development in 1986. Furthermore, the World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna in 1993, stated that development facilitates the enjoyment of economic, social, political, civil and cultural rights.

In this context the right to development is an issue that is at stake in Climate Change negotiations which places all other rights in peril if not dealt with properly. These obstacles reach exponential levels when you throw into the mix governance structures and finance and trade regimes where some economies hold much of the power. In this context these economies need to be held accountable to achieving human rights and furthering human development. Because of their power nationally and in the way they influence the global economy they must fulfill their obligations to build a low carbon development path.

Social and Climate Justice

Social and environmental justice is a necessary condition for securing the path to sustainability. “And this concept of justice is embodied in the United Nations Framework CCC [Convention on Climate Change], whose article 3.1 establishes that countries should act ‘on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.’ This is complemented by two other principles in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and Agenda 21 adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992: the precautionary principle and that the polluter pays. Climate justice is also explicitly stated or implied in many other UN declarations and agreements.” [4]

The climate convention and its predecessors, like the Rio Declaration, are global sharing arrangements based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. The Rio Declaration takes into account that “In view of the different contributions to global environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities. The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command.” And it also takes into account the different circumstances, particularly of each state’s ability to prevent, reduce and control the threat.

There’s no place here for the rich and powerful setting conditions for sharing, especially ones that are burdensome and humiliating to the poor and less powerful. What each side is expected to do is but a just and fair share based on differing accountability for what has happened and continues to happen. [5] High-emission countries must continue to commit to drastic, deep and binding cuts on their green house gas emissions from their 1990 levels. These countries’ governments and corporations must also recognize the ecological debt owed by their states, companies and elites to vulnerable and marginalized peoples specifically those from least developed and developing countries.

In this regard reparations and restitution are a fundamental requirement of social and climate justice. [6] These reparations and restitutions are part of a larger ecological debt owed by north to south accumulated through decades of historical plunder, colonialism and economic domination. And this principle calls for climate finance to be seen as part of reparations for climate debt that should not be imposed by developed countries in the form of loans with regressive conditionalities. Therefore, compensation for the adverse effects of climate change on all affected countries and peoples is an issue of climate democracy, justice and accountability not just of mitigation of climate effects or trading in carbon emissions. [7] In this sense the right to development is a crucial component of any negotiation on climate change as it affects every other right that is put at stake due to the effects of climate change.

References:

[1] Social Watch Report 2009 Making Finances Work: People First.

[2] Social Watch Report 2009 Making Finances Work: People First.

[3] Social Watch Report 2009 Making Finances Work: People First.

[4] Social Watch Report 2009 Making Finances Work: People First.

[5] Community and Habitat Issue # 13, Climate Justice and MDG’s, Isagani Serrano.

[6] A platform for Climate Justice of Asian Movements, Organizations and Networks, August 2009.

[7] “Activists from around the globe rally to call for rich countries to pay their debt concerning climate,” http://www.indigenousportal.com/Cli..., September 30, 2009.

Natalia Cardona is the Advocacy Coordinator for Social Watch.

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