Human Rights And Environmental Protection

Human Rights
The human rights principle is there to guide environmental policy. The environmental protection is necessary to support some of the most fundamental human rights, such as the rights to life, health and wellbeing (UNHCHR, 2002). Human rights are entitlement based on morality, justice and fairness which has been agreed that all people should have. Human rights are regarded as essential to human dignity and cannot be taken away (Beder, 2006). The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights include the rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of association and peacefully assembly etc (CCPR, 1996). Countries that have signed up to these rights guarantee that every citizen will have these rights protected

Human rights are not only dependent on environmental protection, but environmental degradation often entails the trampling of human rights. Respect for human rights is a protection for sustainable development, that environmental protection constitutes a precondition for the effectiveness of human rights.
Human rights cannot be secured in a degraded, polluted environment. The right to life is threatened by soil degradation, exposure to toxic waste chemicals and contaminated drinking water. Environmental conditions determine the extent to which people enjoy their basic rights. People who pollute or destroy the natural environment are committing a crime against nature and violating human rights (Beder, 2006). Human rights are interdependent and interrelated. Ensuring that the air and water is clean can prevent the loss of lives. Taking care of the environment can reduce child mortality and increase life

The International Covenant Council on Civil and Political Rights protects the right of citizen to participate in governance of their nation (Beder, 2996). At national level, individuals have access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials (Beder, 2006). States should encourage participation by making information available to the general public.
The need for public participation is emphasised on the Agenda 21. The most important prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development is participation in decision making. The need for the civil society to participate on environmental impact assessment procedures is fundamental and to also participate in decision making that will affect the community in which they reside in. people also have the right to receive prior notice of environmental risks and the right to affective remedy where the environmental damage has been