In a report to the Human Rights Council (HRC), David Boyd, the UN's independent expert on human rights and the environment, warns that humanity is exceeding the boundaries of the planet. The report calls for “an urgent rethinking of the business and economic paradigms that have pushed civilization to the brink of disaster.”
The report of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations related to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment is entitled 'Business, planetary boundaries and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment'. (A/HRC/55/43). It highlights the inadequacy of voluntary normative frameworks to ensure that businesses respect human rights and the right to protect the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment from harm caused by businesses. It points out that “to be done”.
The report calls for “systemic and transformative changes” to achieve a just and sustainable future. These include new business models, climate and environmental laws that incorporate planetary constraints, fiscal policies that internalize externalities and reduce inequality, and social goals that replace gross domestic product (GDP) and unlimited growth. It will be.
The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that natural resources are being consumed six times faster than the planet can sustain. “If everyone consumed like the average American, we would need four more planets to supply our resources and absorb our waste,” Boyd writes.
Independent experts have called out the government for failing to “prevent, investigate, punish and redress environmental impacts on climate and human rights”. Among some of the most destructive impacts of corporations on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, he highlights greenwashing, which undermines scientific fact and enables corruption and the use of litigation to “discuss” doing.
At the same time, Boyd said, the paradox facing the international community as it mandates reducing its ecological footprint and slowing climate change while allowing increased energy and materials use in the global south. points out. Rich countries “must reduce their footprint in the global South and take the lead in financing sustainable and equitable growth,” he argues.
The Special Rapporteur provides a number of recommendations to states to support prioritizing benefits rather than profits. Among other things, he calls for the adoption of human rights due diligence laws, rights-based climate and environmental laws, and a new business paradigm that prioritizes social interests over shareholder interests.
In the policy brief that accompanies the report, Boyd details the devastating impact of big business on the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Two additional reports document the Special Rapporteur's visits to Botswana (A/HRC/55/43/add.2) and Chile (A/HRC/55/43/ADD.1). A healthy and sustainable environment to explore challenges and identify good practices.
The report was published in January 2024 ahead of the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, which will be held from 26 January 2024 to 5 April 2024.
The Special Rapporteur is independent from any government or organization. They serve in an individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work. [Publication: Business, Planetary Boundaries, and the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment] [Publication: Visit to Botswana] [Publication: Visit to Chile] [Publication: Prioritizing Profits over People and Planet: The Devastating Impacts of Large Businesses on the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment] [Annual Thematic Reports by Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment] [UN News Story]
