Page - 183 - in Loss and Damage from Climate Change - Concepts, Methods and Policy Options

7 LegalResponses toClimateChange… 183 applicationoftortlawofnuisance.Inthisview,compliancewithdomesticprovisions ongreenhousegasemissionsprotects thepowerutilities fromprivate lawlitigation. This doctrine was also one of the obstacles that precluded the inhabitants of the AlaskanvillageofKivalina fromobtainingdamages frommajor hydrocarbons and powercompanies. In2012, theNinthCircuitCourtofAppeals found that theClean AirActhaddisplacedtort-basedclaimsfordamagesandefforts toappealbefore the USSupremeCourthavebeenunsuccessful(NativeVillageofKivalinav.ExxonMobil Corp.,696F.3d849(9thCir.2012))(seealsochapterbyLandauerandJuhola2018). Asimilarcasewas initiatedbyaPeruvian farmeragainstRWE,aGermanutility company.AGermandistrictcourtdismissedthelawsuitasitheldthattheplaintiffhad not established thatRWEwas legally responsible for protecting the city ofHuaraz from flooding and because of lack of direct chain of causation. In January 2017, theplaintifffiledanappeal,whichwas rejectedongroundsofunclearcausalityand inadequacy. The case has since been taken to the higher regional court inHamm, where it was finally admitted in November 2017 and has now proceeded to the evidentiary stage (seealsochapterbyFranket al. 2018). 7.3 RegionalandInternationalHumanRightsLaw Multiple regional and international human rights instruments recognise the obliga- tion of states to respect, protect and fulfill the human rights of individuals within their jurisdiction. International institutions have been established to promote com- pliancewiththeseobligations.Theseincluderegionalhumanrightscourtssuchasthe EuropeanCourt ofHumanRights, the Inter-AmericanCourt ofHumanRights and theAfricanCourt ofHumanandPeoples’Rights, aswell as regional commissions. TheHumanRightsCouncilanditsspecialproceduresaswellasinternationalhuman rightstreatybodieshavealsocontributedtonamingandshaminggovernmentsfailing tocomplywith theirobligations. The impact of climate changeon theenjoymentofhuman rights arewell recog- nised (e.g., Preambleof theParisAgreement).TheUNHumanRightsCouncil, for instance, emphasised that “the adverse effects of climate change have a range of implications…for the effective enjoymentofhuman rights” (2015, recital 8).Var- ious regional and international human rights that are affected byL&D include the right tolife(e.g., InternationalCovenantonCivilandPoliticalRights,art.6;seealso HumanRightsCommittee2017,para. 65), the right toproperty (Protocol1ECHR, art. 1), the right to a clean environment (AfricanCharter onHuman and Peoples’ Rights, art. 24) and the right to enjoyone’sownculture (InternationalCovenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, art. 27). Yet, human rights law has gener- ally been of little help in addressingL&D.While states have an obligation to take positive steps toprotect and fulfill the rightsof individualswithin their jurisdiction, this obligation is limited to their availablemeans.More importantly, it is generally understoodthattheobligationtoprotecthumanrightsislimitedtoindividualswithin the states’ own jurisdiction or, atmost, to individuals under their effective control