Dr. Arvind Kumar*
On the face of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, the world has not just an environment to do list but an environment must to do list. There is growing recognition that the environment needs to be re-evaluated and better protected. Developments, such as a values assessment by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the concept of bio-cultural rights and the acknowledgment of granting rights to nature, emphasize the intrinsic value of the environment and endorse the understanding of the interconnectedness between humans and non-human entities. Similarly these issues were deliberated and pondered on at United Nations Environment Assembly 6 which recently concluded in Nairobi, Kenya.
Nations at all stages of development have committed to work towards this sustainable future under dozens of multilateral environmental agreements. In times of geopolitical crisis and shifting political landscapes, this is no mean feat. Action on the environment is a powerful force for unity. There are global deals that set agreed goals and targets, such as the Paris Agreement, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Global Framework on Chemicals. Many businesses and investors are promising to align their models and capital with low-carbon and nature-positive aspirations. International banks and organisations of all shades and stripes are making environmental action a core part of their objectives. The scientific community is increasingly moving from sounding the alarm to signposting solutions. This is where the United Nations Environment Assembly, known as UNEA, comes in. The Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, unites nations every two years to look not just at isolated issues, but everything, everywhere, all as one.
However, it isn’t just about working harder; it’s about working smarter. With so many agreements in play, isn’t there a growing risk of fragmentation?
How to address this challenge and ensure that work on each commitment dovetails with and amplifies the work of the others?
Right to clean and safe environment
As humanity confronts an unprecedented planetary crisis, it is our genuine hope that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment will serve as a catalyst for systemic and transformative changes to produce a just and sustainable future in harmony with nature. A key driver for change in environmental law and human rights law has been an emphasis on the value of nature. This shift has progressed from a perspective that once advocated human exploitation and dominion over the environment to one that recognizes humans as integral to nature, necessitating coexistence in harmonious balance. However, the reality is that planet Earth is under ever more intense pressure from climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. The warming climate could breach the crucial 1.5°C threshold as soon as 2027, and the world’s biodiversity is being destroyed at the fastest rate in human history. Air, water and land pollution are rising to alarming levels, with pollution causing 9 million premature deaths every year, while nature loss and land degradation are leading harvests to fail and communities to suffer.
At the root of this environmental reality is a hard but undeniable truth: humanity’s relationship with the natural world is broken. But humanity cannot afford this reality. Our collective economic and social well-being depends on nature and its services. Some quantified estimates suggest that more than half the world’s GDP is derived from nature. Without a radical shift to include the full value of nature in economic decision-making, to move towards more sustainable consumption and production patterns, and to achieve a just transition towards a circular economy that delivers for all, the future is at risk. Ecosystems – from forests, grasslands and peatlands to oceans, rivers, savannahs and mountains – provide a vast range of services vital to the survival of humanity. Yet every year humans use more resources than the planet can sustainably provide. A sustainable planet requires finding a balance between nature and humanity, recognizing that clean and healthy ecosystems are the foundation of collective well-being. The good news is that nature, if given half a chance, can bounce back. But it needs help to do so.
Despite ongoing disruptions from the pandemic and rising sociopolitical tensions, the past two years have delivered much-needed wins for environmental cooperation, spanning several interconnected agendas, from water to digitalization and from food systems to human rights. All of these had one common thread: they delivered transformative actions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Way Forward
A landmark moment came with recognition of the universal human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. This gives strong ammunition for enacting constitutional and legal changes that can positively impact the environment and human well-being, including by supporting environmental rights based claims in legal systems. The Sustainable Development Goals were framed to encourage integrated resource management and nexus thinking for environmental, economic and social solutions. Addressing the environmental crises in armed conflict is already vital for conflict prevention and sustainable peace building. The outcomes of UNEA 6 have brought greater attention to these urgent environmental issues and their interconnectedness with human well being. It has highlighted the need for more robust and coordinated international efforts, including the development of more coherent, protective legal interpretations and applications, and stronger enforcement of the law, to address the challenges in a more effective and humanitarian way.
*Editor, Focus Global Reporter
