{"id":40659,"date":"2025-04-08T21:55:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T16:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=40659"},"modified":"2025-04-08T22:51:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T17:21:27","slug":"unhrc-adopts-resolution-linking-plastic-pollution-ocean-protection-human-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-04-2025\/unhrc-adopts-resolution-linking-plastic-pollution-ocean-protection-human-rights","title":{"rendered":"UNHRC Adopts Resolution Linking Plastic Pollution, Ocean Protection, and Human Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Role of International Organizations; GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recently, the <strong>United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)<\/strong> has adopted a resolution <strong>recognizing the critical connection<\/strong> between <strong>plastic pollution, ocean protection, and the human right<\/strong> to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Highlights of the Resolution&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Interconnected Crises:<\/strong> Plastic pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss collectively threaten the health of the planet and the rights of future generations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on Vulnerable Communities:<\/strong> Coastal communities and small island developing states are disproportionately affected by ocean degradation and natural disasters.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The resolution calls for a human rights-based approach to ocean governance, emphasizing inclusion and protection for at-risk populations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Building on Previous UN Actions:<\/strong> The resolution<strong> strengthens the Human Rights Council Recognition (2021)<\/strong> and the <strong>UN General Assembly Resolution (2022)<\/strong> affirming the <strong>right to a healthy environment.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It was strongly influenced by a report from the <strong>UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to a Healthy Environment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Scale of Plastic Pollution&nbsp;&nbsp;Global Impact:<\/strong> <br>&#8211; According to estimates, <strong>over 11 million metric tons <\/strong>of plastic find their way into the oceans annually.<br>1. If left unchecked, this figure <strong>could triple by 2040, <\/strong>causing irreparable damage to marine ecosystems.<br>&#8211; A significant portion of ocean plastic pollution originates from<strong> single-use plastics<\/strong>, including packaging and disposable items.<br>&#8211; Plastic debris damages coral reefs, entangles marine species, and disrupts habitats.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Implications and Future Actions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Influence on Upcoming Conferences:<\/strong> The resolution sets a strong precedent ahead of two major events:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France (June, 2025).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Final negotiations for a global treaty to end plastic pollution in Geneva (August, 2025).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthening International Agreements: <\/strong>Observers believe this resolution will push human rights considerations to the forefront of future international agreements on ocean and plastic pollution governance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integrating SDGs: <\/strong>Integrate <strong>SDG 14 (Life Below Water)<\/strong> with SDGs on poverty, gender, health, and climate justice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Call for Action:<\/strong> The resolution urges governments, industries, and civil society to integrate human rights obligations into environmental policies and treaties.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Human Right to a Healthy Environment in India<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<br>&#8211; <strong>Constitutional Provisions:<\/strong><br>1. <strong>Article 21 (Right to Life):<\/strong> The right to a healthy environment is derived from Article 21, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty.<br>2. <strong>Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP):<\/strong><br>(a). <strong>Article 48A:<\/strong> It directs the state to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife.<br>(b).<strong> Article 51A(g):<\/strong> It imposes a duty on every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife.<br>&#8211; <strong>Judicial Activism:<\/strong><br>1. <strong>MC Mehta v. Union of India<\/strong> and <strong>Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar<\/strong>: Supreme Court of India reinforced the right to a clean environment as a <strong>Fundamental Right.<\/strong><br>2. Principles such as <strong>polluter pays, precautionary principle, and sustainable development<\/strong> have been <strong>upheld by Courts in India.<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/pollution\/unhrc-adopts-resolution-linking-plastic-pollution-ocean-protection-and-human-right-to-a-healthy-environment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: DTE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Recently, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has adopted a resolution recognizing the critical connection between plastic pollution, ocean protection, and the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Key Highlights of the Resolution\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Interconnected Crises: Plastic pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss collectively threaten the health of the planet and the rights of future generations.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Impact on Vulnerable Communities: Coastal communities and small island developing states are disproportionately affected by ocean degradation and natural disasters.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-04-2025\/unhrc-adopts-resolution-linking-plastic-pollution-ocean-protection-human-rights\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40659"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40684,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40659\/revisions\/40684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}