Having is becoming more of a human right globally with this week含羞草研究社檚 European court decision that says countries must better protect people from climate change, something warming-hit residents of the Global South long knew, said former Ireland President Mary Robinson.
Robinson, who was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, praised Tuesday含羞草研究社檚 mixed court decision as precedent-setting and change-triggering. The European Court of Human Rights saying their government wasn含羞草研究社檛 doing enough to protect them from climate shocks, but dismissed similar complaints from Portuguese youth and France含羞草研究社檚 mayor on technical grounds.
含羞草研究社淢any countries in Europe, if not all, will be vulnerable to litigation along those lines, that their countries are not doing enough to protect the human rights,含羞草研究社� Robinson said in a 30-minute interview with The Associated Press at the Skoll World Forum, a conference of ideas and entrepreneurship. 含羞草研究社淚f countries do not protect their people, then they may be undermining the human rights. That含羞草研究社檚 completely climate justice.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淲e established the European Court of Human Rights to protect us,含羞草研究社� said Robinson, who was the U.N. human rights chief from 1997 to 2002. 含羞草研究社淚 think this is an interpretation of a reality, which is that people are suffering from climate shocks. Governments are still not taking seriously enough their responsibilities.含羞草研究社�
The decision brings the concept of a ensuring a safe climate to the richer, developed world, which has often been shielded from the worst climate consequences unlike the poorer south, Robinson, 79, said.
Robinson, now a top official in the group The Elders, which is retired leaders, used herself as an example of how oblivious to the problem the Global North could be. In seven years as president of Ireland, she said she never mentioned climate change. As the U.N. human rights chief she knew climate change was an important issue, but it was one that another agency was handling and not a rights issue.
It was only when Robinson started working for a non-profit she started to help in Africa that she realized that climate change was a rights issue, she said.
含羞草研究社淭he shocks weren含羞草研究社檛 nearly as bad in the richer parts of the world. That was the thing that really struck me,含羞草研究社� when she worked in Africa. 含羞草研究社淚 mean, women were saying to me, 含羞草研究社業s God punishing us?含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
Brazilian Indigenous environmental activist Txai Surui said it含羞草研究社檚 about time: 含羞草研究社淥ur reality is so far from here, from the global north. People listen about the Amazon, listen about the Indigenous peoples, but they don含羞草研究社檛 really know what含羞草研究社檚 going on in your land. They don含羞草研究社檛 really know what it means when we say that we are fighting with our lives, with our bodies.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淲e know that this is a human right, because we are feeling it in our skin. We are feeling it in our body,含羞草研究社� Surui said during a break at the Skoll World Forum. And it含羞草研究社檚 frustrating, she said, when people don含羞草研究社檛 notice it even though Surui and others are screaming for people to notice.
含羞草研究社淲hen you people close your eyes to our reality, they condemn us and condemn yourselves,含羞草研究社� because of the importance of solving climate change, Surui said. And Indigenous people feel it hardest around the world, she added.
Robinson also highlighted a basic injustice in climate change: 含羞草研究社淚t affects much earlier, much more severely, the poorest countries, poorest communities, small island states, Indigenous peoples. Within that, there含羞草研究社檚 a huge gender injustice because of the different social roles of women at different access to power, lack of access to power.含羞草研究社�
含羞草研究社淚nequality is sapping the system,含羞草研究社� Robinson said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 eroding a sense of being humans together on this planet when you have this incredible wealth and power that goes with us 含羞草研究社� and so many people, feeling left out and and divided.含羞草研究社�
But Robinson has hope because Brazil will host international economic and climate negotiations over the next two years.
含羞草研究社淚 have a lot of faith in Brazil in addressing this, I think there is a real intent to address inequality as well as sustainability and, you know, move forward,含羞草研究社� Robinson said, mentioning the possibility of a global wealth tax. She also said world governments and banks 含羞草研究社渁re spending $1.8 trillion a year on what is harming us, mainly fossil fuel subsidizing.含羞草研究社�
Many young climate activists criticize the entire capitalistic system for warming含羞草研究社檚 harms. Robinson sympathizes with them, pointing to social democracies in Ireland and Nordic nations as a better path.
含羞草研究社淚 think we do need a fairer system,含羞草研究社� Robinson said. 含羞草研究社淲hat we have is a kind of rampant form of capitalism, which has been very extractive for a very long time, which has created these gaps of wealth, within countries and between countries. All of that is, you know, contrary to social stability.含羞草研究社�
Add to that what Robinson called a form of 含羞草研究社渞acist Christian nationalism含羞草研究社� in the United States and parts of Europe that hurts weaker people and nations. She said it含羞草研究社檚 fine to be proud of your country, but not to belittle, hurt or be scared of others.
When times get tough and your back is against the wall, Robinson said that含羞草研究社檚 when it is time to embrace hope and 含羞草研究社渨ork with what you含羞草研究社檝e got and you try to make the difference.含羞草研究社�
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Fabiano Maisonnave contributed to this report from Oxford.
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Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press
