Placing Human Rights at the Center of U.S. Global Climate Change Policy

The upcoming UNFCCC COP27 in Egypt offers specific opportunities for the Biden administration to fulfill its promise of bringing human rights to the center of foreign policy. In this brief, we provide specific recommendations for the U.S. to:

• Link the United States government’s work at the UNFCCC to its work at the UN Human Rights Council
• Integrate human rights concerns into the Paris Agreement Global Stocktake
• Operationalize a human rights-based approach in the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Action Plan
• Strengthen civil society participation at UNFCCC processes
• Deliver on loss and damage at COP27.

Climate change is one of the most significant threats to people and the environment. The consequences of climate alteration threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities worldwide and pose growing threats to democracy. Addressing climate change demands a human rights-based approach that protects the rights of people and communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate alteration.