Abstract
Ethical reflections should be closely connected to social practices, so that moral principles are related to social reality. In this respect human rights can provide a coherent and globally acceptable basis for the ethics of climate change. Human rights can be seen as a threshold to provide all people with minimum opportunity to live a decent life. Freedom, equality, solidarity and participation are the main normative dimensions of human rights from which a convincing climate policy could be derived.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adger, W. N., Paavola, J., Huq, S., & Mace, M. J. (Eds.). (2006). Fairness in adaptation to climate change. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Bielefeldt, H. (1998). Philosophie der Menschenrechte. Grundlagen eines weltweiten Freiheitsethos. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
Brieskorn, N. (1997). Menschenrechte. Eine historisch-philosophische Grundlegung. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer.
Brown, D. (2008). The case for understanding inadequate climate change strategies as human rights violations. In L. Westra & K. Bosselmann (Eds.), Reconciling human existence with ecological integrity (pp. 195–214). London: Earthscan.
Caney, S. (2010a). Climate change, human rights and moral thresholds. In S. Humphreys (Ed.), Human rights and climate change (pp. 69–90). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Caney, S. (2010b). Human rights and global climate change. In R. Pierik & W. Werner (Eds.), Cosmopolitanism in context: Perspectives from international law and political theory (pp. 19–44). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Edenhofer, O., Wallacher, J., Reder, M., & Lotze-Campen, H. (Eds.). (2010). Global aber gerecht: Klimawandel bekämpfen, Entwicklung ermöglichen. Munich: C. H. Beck.
Gosseries, A., & Meyer, L. H. (Eds.). (2009). Intergenerational justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Habermas, J. (2010). On the concept of human dignity and the realist utopia of human rights. Metaphilosophy, 41, 464–480.
Honneth, A. (2008). Gerechtigkeitstheorie als Gesellschaftsanalyse. Überlegungen im Anschluss an Hegel. In C. Menke & J. Rebentisch (Eds.), Gerechtigkeit und Gesellschaft (pp. 11–24). Berlin: Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag.
HREOC (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission) (Ed.). (2008). Background paper: Human rights and climate change. From http://www.humanrights.gov.au/pdf/about/media/papers/hrandclimate_change.pdf. Accessed on 29 April 2012.
ICC (Innuit Circumpolar Council). (2005). Petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights seeking relief from violations resulting from global warming caused by acts and omissions of the United States. From www.inuitcircumpolar.com/files/uploads/icc-files/FINALPetitionSummary.pdf. Accessed on 29 April 2012.
ICCPR (1966). International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Resolution 2200A (XXI).
ICESCR (1966). International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI).
ICHRP. (2008). Climate change and human rights: A rough guide. Versoix: International Council on Human Rights Policy.
Inthorn, J., Kaelin, L., & Reder, M. (2010). Gesundheit und Gerechtigkeit. Ein interkultureller Vergleich. Vienna/New York: Springer.
Kang, K. (2007). Climate change and human rights. Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, Bali. From http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=200&LangID=E. Accessed on 29 April 2012.
Knox, J. H. (2009). Linking human rights and climate change at the United Nations. Harvard Environmental Law Review, 33(2), 477–498.
Kravchenko, S. (2008). Right to carbon or right to life: Human rights approaches to climate change. Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, 9, 513–547.
Meyer, L. H., & Roser, D. (2006). Distributive justice and climate change: The allocation of emission rights. Analyse & Kritik, 28, 223–249.
Müller, J. (1997). Entwicklungspolitik als globale Herausforderung: Methodische und ethische Grundlegung. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer.
Nell-Breuning, O. V. (1990). Baugesetze der Gesellschaft. Solidarität und Subsidiarität. Freiburg: Herder.
New South Wales Young Lawyers (Ed.). (2008). Human rights and climate change study. Sydney: Environmental Law Committee and Human Rights Committee.
Nida-Rümelin, J. (1997). Praktische Kohärenz. Zeitschrift für Philosophische Forschung, 51(2), 175–192.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). (2009). Report on the relationship between climate change and human rights (A/HRC/10/61). From http://ods-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G09/103/44/PDF/G0910344.pdf?OpenElement. Accessed on 29 April 2012.
Osofsky, H. M. (2007). Inuit petition as a bridge? Beyond dialectics of climate change and indigenous peoples’ rights. American Indian Law Review, 31(2), 675–697.
Oxfam. (2008). Climate wrongs and human rights (Oxfam Briefing Paper). Retrieved June 8, 2010, from http://www.oxfam.org/policy/bp117-climate-wrongs-and-human-rights. Accessed on 29 April 2012.
Page, E. A. (2007). Climate change, justice and future generations. Cheltenham: Elgar.
Raymond, L. (2008). Allocating the global commons: Theory and practice. In S. Vanderheiden (Ed.), Political theory and global climate change (pp. 3–24). Cambridge: MIT Press.
Reder, M. (2010). Globale Konflikte und die Heterogenität des Rechts. Rechtsphilosophische Anmerkungen zur kantischen und hegelschen Tradition. Archiv für Sozial- und Rechtsphilosophie, 125, 131–148.
Roy, J., & Pal, S. (2009). Lifestyles and climate change: Link awaiting activation. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 1(2), 192–200.
Sachs, W. (2008). Climate change and human rights. Development, 51(3), 332–337.
Sen, A. (2005). Human rights and capabilities. Journal of Human Development, 6(2), 151–166.
Sen, A. (2009). The idea of justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Stout, J. (2004). Democracy and tradition. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
UDHR (1948). Universal Declaration of Human Rights. G.A. res. 217A (III), U.N. Doc A/810 at 71.
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). (2007). Human rights and the millennium development goals: Making the link. Oslo: UNDP Oslo Governance Centre.
Vattenfall. (2006). Curbing climate change: An outline of a framework leading to a low carbon emitting society. Stockholm: Vattenfall.
Wallacher, J., Reder, M., & Kowarsch, M. (2009). Klimawandel, weltweite Armut und Gerechtigkeit. Begründung und Gestaltung einer integrierten Klima- und Entwicklungspolitik. Zeitschrift für Umweltpsychologie, 13(1), 52–67.
Walzer, M. (2005). Human rights in global society. International Politik Transatlantic Edition, 6(1), 4–13 (Published Lecture).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reder, M. (2012). Climate Change and Human Rights. In: Edenhofer, O., Wallacher, J., Lotze-Campen, H., Reder, M., Knopf, B., Müller, J. (eds) Climate Change, Justice and Sustainability. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4540-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4540-7_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4539-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-4540-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)