Global Warming Is A Human Rights Violation, Activists Say

16 December 2004Susan JonesCNSNews.com Morning EditorEnvironmental activists say greenhouse gas emissions are destroying the Inuit way of life and therefore must be considered a human rights violation.Sheila Watt-Cloutier chairs the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), an international organization representing the 150,000 Inuit living in the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia. Speaking at the U.N. climate change conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Watt-Cloutier announced that the ICC will petition the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, seeking a human rights declaration against the United States.Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, praised Watt-Cloutier for "ably" articulating the concerns of her people "in the face of the devastating effects of climate change and its relentless assault on Inuit traditional life."Attorneys from Earthjustice and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) said they are working with the Inuit Circumpolar Conference to file the petition. "Climate change is a human rights concern on an unprecedented scale," said Donald Goldberg, a senior attorney with CIEL. "It poses an immediate danger for Inuit and other Arctic inhabitants, but millions of people in mountain areas, low-lying island and coastal regions, and other vulnerable parts of the world will soon face similar threats."Martin Wagner, an attorney with Earthjustice, said protecting human rights is the most fundamental responsibility of governments. "Climate change is threatening the health, culture, and livelihoods of the Inuit. It is the responsibility of the United States, as the largest source of greenhouse gases, to take immediate action to protect the rights of the Inuit and others around the world," Wagner added.According to environmental activists who subscribe to the global warming theory, the Arctic is rapidly warming -- at nearly twice the rate as the rest of the globe, they say.According to a four-year study called the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), increasing greenhouse gas emissions from human activities will make the Arctic even warmer. The resulting ice melt will have major global impacts, including a global rise in sea levels and intensified global warming, the ACIA report said.But as CNSNews.com previously reported, some analysts question the data and the conclusions of the ACIA study.