Human rights and the environment

Today, 60 years after the solemn adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948, human rights are facing a grave crisis. This crisis impacts on the environment and, in particular, on the human right to the environment. After reviewing the development of human rights, the author explores the relationship between human and environmental rights in the light of the worsening global environmental situation. He analyses the legal elements of the right to the environment and the costs involved in the sustainable development. He argues that a right can only be effective if it is enforceable and, therefore, he looks at the role of specialised human rights and environmental courts, examining with attention the need to establish an International Court of the Environment. He concludes by evaluating the philosophy of duties and the role of religion and ethics in human rights in general and, in particular, in relation to the human right to the environment.