Different Approaches to Human Rights and Environment

One approach is where environmental protection is described as a possible means of fulfilling human rights standards. In this approach, environmental law is conceptualized as ‘giving a protection that would help ensure the well-being of future generations as well as the survival of those who depend immediately upon natural resources for their livelihood.’ Here, the end is fulfilling human rights, and the route is through environmental law. This approach is advocated as a means to improve mutual institutional framework of governing both environment and human right issues. Another approach to the question of ‘human rights and the environment’ is to deny the existence of any formal connection between the two at all. According to this approach, there is no requirement for an ‘environmental human right.’ The argument goes that, since the Stockholm Conference in 1972, international environmental law has developed to such extents that even the domestic environments of states has been internationalized.

Author:
Dr. Ayaz Ahmad, Associate Professor, Unitedworld School of Law (UWSL)

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