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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
Loss and Damage from Climate Change
Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Titel
- Loss and Damage from Climate Change
- Untertitel
- Concepts, Methods and Policy Options
- Autoren
- Reinhard Mechler
- Laurens M. Bouwer
- Thomas Schinko
- Swenja Surminski
- JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer
- Verlag
- Springer Open
- Datum
- 2019
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY 4.0
- ISBN
- 978-3-319-72026-5
- Abmessungen
- 16.0 x 24.0 cm
- Seiten
- 580
- Schlagwörter
- Environment, Climate change, Environmental law, Environmental policy, Risk management
- Kategorien
- International
- Naturwissenschaften Umwelt und Klima