The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights declared this Monday that humanity does not need “more warnings” about climate change, since “the dystopian future has already arrived,” and called for “urgent measures” to confront it.
Giving the traditional “global update” on the state of human rights in the world, at the opening session of the 54th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, taking place between today and October 13 in Geneva, Switzerland, Volker Türk dedicated the beginning of his speech to climate change, which, he highlighted, “is pushing millions of people into hunger, destroying hopes, opportunities, homes and lives.”
“In recent months, urgent warnings have become deadly realities, again and again, around the world. We don’t need more warnings. The dystopian future is already here. We need urgent action, now. And we know what The real question is: what’s stopping us?” declared the UN official.
The high commissioner’s statements come immediately after the G20 meeting held over the weekend in New Delhi, which resulted in a new failure in the fight against climate change, given the division within the group – which represents 80 % of global greenhouse gas emissions – relative to oil, which prevented a joint final declaration calling for the abandonment of fossil fuels.
During his speech, Türk highlighted the dramatic situation currently experienced in the Sahel, also linking it to the phenomenon of climate change.
“Across the Sahel, most people struggle for daily survival, and Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger are among the eight least developed countries in the world. These countries are severely affected by environmental degradation and change climate, a crisis to which they contributed practically nothing,” he noted.
The UN official noted that “the resources necessary for survival, such as fertile land and water, are decreasing, giving rise to conflicts between communities.”
“The adaptation measures they so urgently need are too expensive and the financial support they are regularly promised at international conferences is too slow, and 2022 was the deadliest year since the start of the Sahel crisis a decade ago,” he highlighted, also warning that “The constant threat of violence by armed groups is now expanding to the coastal states.”
“None of the challenges facing these countries can be addressed in isolation, as they are interconnected. Climate change, including droughts and the extreme weather events associated with them, but also the inability to invest adequately in education, healthcare, sanitation and social protection, impartial justice and other human rights,” he listed, adding that “decades of poor governance and lack of transparency and accountability in decision-making are the sources of violent extremism.”
Turk noted that “the unconstitutional changes of government that have been seen in the Sahel are not the solution,” alluding to successive military coups in the region.
“Instead, we need an urgent shift towards civil governance and open spaces where people can participate, influence, monitor and criticize government actions or lack of action,” he concluded.
Source: TSF
