NHRCK: "Government Must Address Climate Crisis from Human Rights Perspective"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has recommended that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration make it an obligation to protect and promote human rights from the climate crisis.

On the 4th, the NHRCK expressed this opinion to the Yoon administration, stating, "Related laws and systems must be improved to approach and respond to the climate crisis from a human rights perspective," and "It is necessary to classify vulnerable groups to the climate crisis by reflecting the patterns of climate change and social and geographical characteristics, analyze threat factors, and prepare measures to protect vulnerable groups and strengthen adaptation capabilities."

The NHRCK explained that the climate crisis has a broad direct and indirect impact on human rights such as the right to life, the right to food, the right to health, and the right to housing. The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted 12 resolutions on climate change and human rights to date and appointed a Special Rapporteur on climate change, with the international community striving to identify the causes of climate change and prevent damage. Last year, at the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a report by the UN Secretary-General focusing on the protection of vulnerable groups' human rights due to climate change was also released. Domestically, in December 2020, a petition demanding a response to human rights violations caused by the climate crisis was submitted to the NHRCK.

First, considering the international standards announced in the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the NHRCK recommended raising the 2030 national greenhouse gas reduction target in Article 3 of the Enforcement Decree of the Basic Act on Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth for Climate Crisis Response. It also expressed the opinion that clear reduction obligations should be set, including reduction targets beyond 2030.

The NHRCK stated, "When setting greenhouse gas reduction targets, participation of groups more vulnerable to the climate crisis, such as farmers and fishermen, workers, persons with disabilities, migrants, and consumers, as well as companies, must be guaranteed and their opinions reflected," and added, "It is necessary to strengthen corporate disclosure related to climate change and introduce systems and policies that can induce companies to reduce greenhouse gases, thereby enhancing corporate accountability and transparency."

Furthermore, the NHRCK said, "This opinion reflects domestic and international demands to actively respond to climate change, which has emerged as the greatest threat to human rights," and "We will strive to ensure that a human rights-based approach is applied throughout government policies and systems related to the climate crisis."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.