Climate Change in the Americas and the Rights of Children

Jul 29

Last updated July 2024

In response to the impact that climate change has on children and future children across the Americas, students at UCLA Law, under the supervision of the UNHR, carried out an analysis of international jurisprudence, identifying the special obligations States have to guarantee the rights of these populations in the context of the climate emergency.

This research formed the basis of an amicus brief to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), submitted jointly by Our Children’s Trust, the University Network for Human Rights, and Defensa Ambiental del Noroeste. Testimony based on our amicus was presented during a public hearing before the IACtHR in April 2024.

This case represents the first time that the most important human rights tribunal in the Americas will rule on the specific steps States must adopt to protect human rights in the context of climate change – and will be crucial to establish binding guidelines, especially in relation to groups in situations of heightened risk, including children and future generations.