Social Sustainability
Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
Definition
The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right formally recognised by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2021 and by the UN General Assembly in July 2022 (resolution A/76/L.75, adopted with 161 votes in favour and 8 abstentions). It affirms that environmental degradation and climate change interfere with the enjoyment of human rights, and calls on states, businesses and organisations to give the right effect.
References
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This reference provides supporting context for how “Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
The right is invoked in climate and environmental litigation, national legal reforms, corporate human rights due diligence, and advocacy connecting environmental harm to rights violations.
Why it matters
It recasts environmental protection as something owed to every person as a right-holder, not merely a policy preference — shifting the balance of legal argument worldwide.