The Impact of Environmental Degradation on Children’s Rights in Central Europe

This article reframes environmental degradation as not just an ecological or economic issue, but fundamentally a children’s rights concern. Around the world, courts and international bodies are recognising that a safe, clean, and sustainable environment is essential for the fulfilment of fundamental human rights. Children are among the most vulnerable to environmental harm, bearing disproportionate impacts of pollution, climate change, and resource depletion. As future generations, children have a critical stake in environmental protection, raising questions of intergenerational justice and the duty of today’s decision-makers to safeguard tomorrow’s world. This article provides an in-depth legal analysis of the recognition of environmental rights as human rights, with a special focus on how environmental degradation affects children’s rights. It offers a comparative survey of international law, examines leading case law (international and domestic, especially in Central Europe), explores theoretical frameworks like intergenerational equity, and assesses regional implementation in Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, and Hungary. The article concludes with de lege ferenda recommendations for reforms to ensure the right of every child to a healthy environment across the region.