August 19th is World Humanitarian Day, which we wanted to commemorate. We are honoured to stock our products with Amnesty International, an organisation whose work we support and admire.
As the world’s leading human rights organisation, Amnesty recognises that climate change is a growing issue. Kumi Naidoo, the Secretary General of Amnesty International, says it is ‘abundantly clear that climate change is already having an impact of human rights.‘ So why should we consider climate change considered a human rights issue?
What is World Humanitarian Day?
On August 19th, 2003, 22 humanitarian aid workers were killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad. Five years later, the General Assembly nominated August 19th World Humanitarian day, and each year focuses on a different theme.
For World Humanitarian Day 2021, the theme is #TheHumanRace, and focuses on the impacts of climate crisis on communities around the world.
We make eco-friendly products because we want to make a difference and because we are an environmentally conscious company, the climate crisis is an issue we care about deeply. Rising Co2 levels, rapidly filling landfills and toxic chemicals & plastics that pollute our oceans, and with this year’s focus being on climate change, we wanted to explore the relationship between climate change and human rights.
Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash
The climate crisis
The UN secretary general called 2021 the ‘make or break’ year to address the climate crisis. The effects of climate change are felt and seen by all of us. Whether it be unpredictable weather, rising sea levels or natural disasters, the need for us to take action is becoming more urgent than ever.
It often feels like the impacts of climate change are out of our control, even though it is largely our fault. This is something that 97% of climate scientists agree with.
Although the climate crisis may affect all of us, it affects us disproportionately. For different generations, genders, ethnicities, classes and communities, the impacts vary.
“Climate change is a human rights issue not only because its devastating impacts affect the enjoyment of human rights, but also because it is a man-made phenomenon which can be mitigated by governments.” Kumi Naido
How does the climate crisis impact human rights?
According to Amnesty International, the climate crisis impacts our human rights in several ways:
Right to life
400,000 early deaths have been linked to climate change, with hundreds of thousands more deaths are expected because of extreme weather
Right to food
It’s predicted that there could be a 20% increase in global hunger and poor nutrition by 2050
Right to adequate housing
Since 2008, weather-related natural disasters have forced up to 26.4m people yearly to leave their homes
Right to water, sanitation and health
If there is an increase in global temperature that is greater than 2°C, as many as 1 billion people will suffer from a reduction in water resources. In central sub-Saharan Africa, 23% of the population will face more risk of death and ill health. A further 62% of people in South Asia will also face a higher risk of death and ill health.
Photo by Li-An Lim on Unsplash
What can you do to help right now?
You can shop a selection of Ecozone’s products on Amnesty’s online store. For every product you buy from Amnesty International, a portion of the profits will get donated. Amnesty International is now a growing movement of over 7 million people worldwide, aiming to make sure all people and their rights are ‘respected, protected and enjoyed.’
Featured image: Christian Lue on Unsplash
