A/HRC/41/39
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
17 July 2019
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-first session
24 June–12 July 2019
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Climate change and poverty
Report of the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human
rights*
Summary
Climate change will have devastating consequences for people in poverty. Even
under the best-case scenario, hundreds of millions will face food insecurity, forced
migration, disease and death. Climate change threatens the future of human rights and risks
undoing the last 50 years of progress in development, global health and poverty reduction.
Staying the course will be disastrous for the global economy and pull vast numbers
into poverty. Addressing climate change will require a fundamental shift in the global
economy, decoupling improvements in economic well-being from fossil fuel emissions. It
is imperative that this is done in a way that provides necessary support, protects workers
and creates decent work.
Governments and too many in the human rights community have failed to seriously
address climate change for decades. Sombre speeches by government officials have not led
to meaningful action and too many countries continue taking short-sighted steps in the
wrong direction. States are paying only marginal attention to human rights in the
conversation on climate change.
Although climate change has been on the human rights agenda for well over a
decade, it remains a marginal concern for most actors. However, it represents an emergency
without precedent and requires bold and creative thinking from the human rights
community and a radically more robust, detailed and coordinated approach.
* The present report was submitted after the deadline in order to reflect the most recent developments.
GE.19-12191(E)