ABSTRACT
Life without poverty presupposes balanced nutrition, good health, and equal opportunities in order to get basic education and adequate jobs, and all this within a safe and secure environment. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly sixty years ago, proclaimed these among fundamental human rights for all. In the twenty-first century, these basic rights remain to be secured, as subsequently reaffirmed by the Millennium Development Goals, which are aimed at reaching a fair level of global sustainable conditions for human life. The UN Development Program’s Human Development Report 2007-2008 warns: “The global warming is forcing the world towards a tipping point that could lock the world’s poorest countries and their poorest citizens, leaving hundreds of millions facing malnutrition, water scarcity, ecological threats, and a loss of livelihoods.” It is in this context that this paper explores the environmental implications of the current climate change negotiations.
