The Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment and the Triple Planetary Crisis: Reflections for Ocean Governance

Abstract

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the world is fac-ing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss, and pollution and waste, with grave implications for human well-being. While the triple plan-etary crisis affects both marine and terrestrial ecosystems, understanding of human rights in the ocean governance context is less well developed than that of human rights on land. This is slowly changing, even as the relation-ship between human rights and the environment more generally is being clarified in international law. On July 28, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment with 161 States voting in favor and none against. This reflection will contemplate the implications of this recent development in international human rights law for ocean govern-Ance at a time of triple planetary crisis. Might UNGA recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment contribute necessary tools to overcome the challenges of triple planetary crisis and ultimately help restore planetary, including ocean, health?.