CHAPTER 4 - REPORT OF THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS WORKING GROUP 5. HUMAN RIGHTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE On 14 November, the Commission organised a RTD on ‘Climate Change from a Human Rights Perspective’ to sensitise policy makers and other participants to the impact of climate change on human rights, and how the human rights approach can strengthen existing strategies. The RTD was also intended to raise awareness of current initiatives by the Government and other organisations to address climate change, and to identify factors that could hamper the effectiveness of these moves. Issues Raised by Participants (i) Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions Globally, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have been increasing since the Industrial Revolution. Combustion of fossil fuel for energy has been identified as the largest contributor to emissions, followed by land-use changes or deforestation. There are also significant levels of methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. (ii) Three distinctive characteristics of climate change Firstly, climate change is cumulative – GHGs emitted during the Industrial Revolution are still in the atmosphere today. Secondly, the effects of climate change are irreversible. And finally, climate change has a time lag between cause (time of emission) and effect (changes to the climate). Thus, emission today would affect the climate 20 years from now. (iii) Early expiry of the 21st century carbon budget The 21st century global carbon budget was set at 1,456 gigatonnes; meaning that the quantity of GHGs emitted in this timeframe should not exceed the carbon budget, as additional amounts will alter the balance of the carbon cycle in the environment. However, it is estimated that the carbon budget will expire as early 2032 or in 2042 as the current rate of emissions is running at twice this level. (iv) Human development tipping points When climate change occurs, five human development tipping points are expected – reduction of agricultural productivity, heightened water insecurity, increased exposure to extreme weather events, collapse of ecosystems and increased health risks. (v) 84 Link between climate change and human rights The United Nations human rights treaty bodies recognise the essential link between the environment and the realisation of a range of human rights. For instance, climate change affects the arability of land; without arable land, human capacity to cultivate would be curtailed and