The Three Degrees Conference: One Year Later

Abstract

Increasing drought, the spread of tropical disease, storm surges with rising duration and severity, and unprecedented human dislocation will reduce food security and access to fresh water, promote the spread of disease beyond normative ranges, and uproot millions of people who inhabit coastal regions. It is certain that the survival ability of many of the world’s indigenous and most disadvantaged peoples is at stake. And yet, the law is inadequately prepared to deal with these human impacts of climate change. The application of both codified and customary international and domestic law will be critical in addressing the massive human and humanitarian crises ignored by technical market solutions to climate change, moderate political reforms, and stalled treaty efforts. The legal community is in a unique position to spearhead innovative adaptations to climate change to account for the basic protection of fundamental human rights. Numerous scholars have suggested that human rights law may provide the most adequate and responsible remedy for climate-related impacts, and yet others debate its utility in the climate context.

Keywords: Climate Change, Human Rights, Three Degrees Conference, Global Warming, Climate Ethics, International Law