Abstract
Human rights have an environmental dimension because of their purpose and subject matter. Human rights are influenced by the environment in two ways: directly, when a damaged or polluted environment prevents someone from exercising that right; or indirectly, when poor environmental circumstances make it more difficult for a government to uphold and safeguard the rights of its population. When a person or group of people asserts that their legally protected human rights have been violated by the environmental degradation or the government's inability to redress it, then a legal claim may be framed on these rights. This Article will describe environmental dynamics of human rights. It will also provide a brief assessment of a few notable examples from multiple human rights regimes in the field.