Climate change and the right to food

The report proposes concrete methods by which institutions can address climate change problems and realize the right to food symbiotically, in compliance with the integration under international law. Climate change and the policies instituted to combat it are affecting the realization of the right to food in myriad, often unnoticed ways.

This report highlights "how despite the common objective to preserve human welfare for present and future generations" the climate change regime and the human rights regime addressing the right to food have failed to coordinate their agendas and to collaborate to each other's mutual benefit. The current climate change regime is not operating with the necessary safeguards and preventive measures to ensure that mitigation and adaptation measures are fully complementary to the right to food obligations of states and non-state actors. Likewise, the human rights regime insufficiently utilizes the tools available to deal with problems of climate change-related threats to the enjoyment of the right to food.

 Heinrich Boll Stiftung - December 2009