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184 F.SimlingerandB.Mayer
(see e.g.Al-Skeini v.UK).Thus, froma legal perspective, stateshavenoobligation
to take into account the effects of their policies on the enjoyment of human rights
outside their jurisdictionoreffectivecontrol.
Tocomplywiththeirobligationtoprotectandfulfillhumanrights,statesmustalso
takemeasuresnecessary toprevent human rights violationsbyprivate actors under
theirjurisdiction.However, thisisagainlimitedtohumanrightsviolationswithinthe
jurisdictionofthestate.Effortstopromoteresponsibilityofstatesforcompaniesthat
commit human rights violations extra-territoriallyhave seen increased support. For
instance, theCommissiononHumanRightsof thePhilippines,whichhas thepower
toinvestigateallegedbarrierstotheenjoymentofhumanrights, investigateswhether
carbonmajorsincausingclimatechangeandoceanacidificationviolatehumanrights.
ThepetitionfiledbyGreenpeaceSoutheastAsiaandPhilippineRuralReconstruction
Movement is based partly on the expert drafted, legally non-binding Maastricht
PrinciplesonExtraterritorialObligationsofStates in theAreaofEconomic,Social
andCulturalRights (ETOConsortium2013).The investigationwasstillongoingas
of the timeofwriting.
However, also cases invoking the failure of a state to address L&Dwithin its
own jurisdiction appear extraordinarily unlikely to succeed before human rights
institutions.Thepetitionerwouldfirstneedtoestablishthatgreenhousegasemissions
of a particular state caused himor her to lose the enjoyment of a rightwithin that
jurisdiction.Then,furtherevidencewouldneedtobeprovidedthat thecauseofsuch
lossintheenjoymentofarightwasthefailureofthestatetotakeappropriatemeasures
toprevent suchgreenhousegasemissions.Lastly, thepetitionerwouldhave torebut
likelyargumentsbythestateaccordingtowhichtheprotectionofhumanrightscanbe
limited in the pursuance of objectives of general interest such as economic growth
or development. Before an international human rights body, the petitioner would
need tomake the latter argument in amanner sufficiently compelling to persuade
judgesorcommissionersthatthestate’sbalanceofhumanrightsprotectionwithsuch
objectives of general interestwasnotwithin thenational “marginof appreciation,”
so-calledbytheEuropeanCourtofHumanRights, intheprotectionofhumanrights.
For instance, in 2005, the InuitCircumpolarConference submitted a petition to
theInter-AmericanCommissiononHumanRightsagainst theUnitedStatesfortheir
failure to prevent greenhouse gas emissions resulting in a violation of the human
rightsof Inuit communities.Followingapublichearing, theCommissiondismissed
thepetition (Chapman2010).
However,casesaremorelikelytosucceedwheninvokingtheobligationofastate
to protect the human rights of its population in isolation from its responsibility for
climatechange.Anexampleof suchsuccessfulproceedingsbeforedomesticcourts
wasmentioned inSect. 7.2 in thecaseofAshgarLeghari v.FederationofPakistan.
Similar cases could be brought in in every circumstancewhere a state fails to take
appropriate measures to protect its population against the adverse circumstances
whichmayrelate to impactsofclimatechange.Yet, thisapproachdoesnotproperly
provide for redress for the impacts of climate change as it relies on the state on
whose territory a person is present for the protection of the human rights of this
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