Human Rights, Environmental Protection and Climate Change - 2022 Edition

The e-Learning course "Human Rights, Environmental Protection and Climate Change" covers the basic principles and concepts of human rights, the SDGs with emphasis on the goals and targets most relevant to environmental protection, and the relationship between human rights and the environment. The course will notably illustrate how the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can and is necessary to environmental protection, considering the recent scientific and legal developments around human rights and environment regimes. It will include as well a section covering the new developments following the COP25.

Through examples of constitutions that have incorporated a right to a healthy environment, good practices in procedural and substantive environmental protection, as well as good practices in the protection of groups particularly vulnerable to environmental harm, participants will understand how the relationship between human rights and environmental protection takes place in practice.

The course will run for 2 weeks, each week covering one module. Each module has its own learning objectives, as well as interactive online lessons, which guide participants through the contents. The lessons are also available in PDF format so participants can work offline. Contents and activities are practice-oriented and under a self-assessment approach, so participants will learn through practical examples and assignments associated with research and case scenarios.

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Target Audience

Government officials, international civil servants, lawyers, judges, NGO representatives, academics and private sector professionals in the field of international law and international organizations. Overall, all stakeholders interested to learn about the main aspects of Human Rights and the environmental protection can benefit from this course.

Learning Objectives

Identify and discuss some of the major concerns related to environmental protection through IEL;
Deliberate about the potential role of human rights in efforts to protect the global environment;
Identify examples of good practices on EHRs around the world;
Explain the relevance of human rights for environmental protection;
Identify the main regional tribunals and their functions;
Evaluate the challenges and opportunities for human rights and the SDGs in the areas of poverty and environment;
Identify the value and benefits of adopting the right to a healthy environment in domestic constitutions, including potential drawbacks;
Detail how the SDGs, EHRs and indigenous people’s rights relate;
Differentiate between anthropocentrism and ecocentrism;
Provide an overview of climate litigation and the use of human rights in this effort.