Human Rights, Health and the Environment

Environmental health and human rights are inextricably linked. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person.” Given that the earth is the source of the basic necessities of human life, any discussion about health and human rights must be attentive to its inherent environmental aspects. International conventions, documents and reports such as Agenda 21 (1992) and The Draft Declaration of Human Rights and the Environment (1994) have expressly argued for such an integrated approach. In response, a plethora of works over the past decade have expanded the discussion to include philosophical, medical, political, and legal perspectives.