Environmental Protection and Human Rights in the Pandemic

Maria Antonia Tigre, Natalia Urzola, & Sarah C. Slinger, et al., Environmental Protection and Human Rights in the Pandemic, 1 Legal Pol’y & Pandemics 317, 374 (2021).


58 Pages Posted: 19 Jun 2024 Last revised: 3 Jan 2025

See all articles by Sarah C. Slinger

Sarah C. Slinger

University of Georgia School of Law; FIU College of Law; University of Miami - School of Law; University of Michigan Law School

Maria Antonia Tigre

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School

Alexandra R. Harrington

Lancaster University Law School; Albany Law School; CISDL

Natalia Urzola

Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment

Alice Kaznar

Environmental Resource Management - ERM

Amy Van der Kleyn

Coram Children's Legal Centre

Antonio Pulgar

Independent

Astrid Milena Bernal Rubio

The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Law / Climate Futures

Giada Giacomini

Geneva Graduate Institute

Hayley Evans

Independent

James R. May

Washburn University - Washburn University School of Law; Widener University Delaware Law School; Haub School of Law at Pace University

Margherita Birri

Independent

Paola Apollara

Independent

Victoria Lichet

Independent

Wellington Migliari

University of Barcelona

Date Written: October 07, 2021

Abstract

The Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 took the world by surprise. The virus spread quickly around the globe and death tolls were constantly on the rise at early stages of the pandemic. Although vaccine rollouts have helped halt the number of deaths, inequality in accessing vaccines and effective treatments is still a major issue. From the onset, Covid-19 negatively impacted global well-being and myriad human rights. The present report examines how environmental protection and related human rights have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on link between environmental and human health, this report focuses on ecological human rights. The report aims to assess the negative effects of Covid-19 on the enjoyment and realization of particular rights, including the right to a healthy environment, the right to food, the right to water, the right to life and the right to health. It discusses how the pandemic interplays with the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030. The report also highlights how the pandemic in and of itself, as well as governmental response measures to it, have played a role in exacerbating pre-existing social and economic inequalities. The report places a special focus on the impact of response measures on marginalized groups, namely Indigenous communities, Afro-descendant communities and environmental defenders. The world is now facing the challenge of building back better. With this in mind, the report provides specific recommendations on how to move forward in a way that ensures human and environmental health are protected. These recommendations are mainly directed at international organizations and States in their decision-making processes. As they continue to face the devastating effects of the pandemic, States and international organizations need to guarantee that inequalities are not furthered and that the rights of marginalized groups are particularly protected.

Keywords: environmental protection, environmental rights, environmental justice, human rights, international law, comparative law, rights to the environment, COVID-19, pandemics, economic development, right to a healthy environment, ecological rights, building back better, environmental inequalities

Suggested Citation

Slinger, Sarah and Tigre, Maria Antonia and Harrington, Alexandra R. and Urzola, Natalia and Kaznar, Alice and Van der Kleyn, Amy and Pulgar, Antonio and Bernal Rubio, Astrid Milena and Giacomini, Giada and Evans, Hayley and May, James and Birri, Margherita and Apollara, Paola and Lichet, Victoria and Migliari, Wellington, Environmental Protection and Human Rights in the Pandemic (October 07, 2021).

Maria Antonia Tigre, Natalia Urzola, & Sarah C. Slinger, et al., Environmental Protection and Human Rights in the Pandemic, 1 Legal Pol’y & Pandemics 317, 374 (2021).


, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4868054

Sarah Slinger (Contact Author)

University of Georgia School of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 388
Athens, GA 30603
United States

FIU College of Law ( email )

11200 SW 8th St.
RDB Hall 1097
Miami, FL 33199
United States

University of Miami - School of Law ( email )

P.O. Box 248087
Coral Gables, FL 33146
United States

University of Michigan Law School ( email )

625 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1215
United States

Maria Antonia Tigre

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School ( email )

Jerome Greene Hall
435 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10027
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://climate.law.columbia.edu/directory/dr-maria-antonia-tigre

Alexandra R. Harrington

Lancaster University Law School ( email )

Bowland North
Lancaster, LA 14 YN
United Kingdom

Albany Law School ( email )

80 New Scotland Avenue
Albany, NY 12208
United States

CISDL ( email )

Montreal, Quebec
Canada

Natalia Urzola

Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment ( email )

Alice Kaznar

Environmental Resource Management - ERM ( email )

Amy Van der Kleyn

Coram Children's Legal Centre ( email )

Antonio Pulgar

Independent ( email )

Astrid Milena Bernal Rubio

The University of Melbourne, Faculty of Law / Climate Futures ( email )

Parkville, 3010
Australia

Giada Giacomini

Geneva Graduate Institute ( email )

Hayley Evans

Independent ( email )

James May

Washburn University - Washburn University School of Law ( email )

1700 SW College Ave.
Topeka, KS 66621
United States

Widener University Delaware Law School ( email )

4601 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE 19803-0406
United States

Haub School of Law at Pace University ( email )

78 N. Broadway
White Plains, NY 10603
United States

Margherita Birri

Independent ( email )

Paola Apollara

Independent ( email )

Victoria Lichet

Independent ( email )

Wellington Migliari

University of Barcelona ( email )

Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 585
Barcelona, 08007
Spain

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
8
Abstract Views
114
PlumX Metrics