Human Rights Dimensions of Bioenergy With Carbon Capture and Storage: A Framework for Climate Justice in the Realm of Climate Geoengineering

• Author: William C.G. Burns
• Pages: 149-170

149

Human Rights Dimensions

of Bioenergy With Carbon

Capture and Storage:

A Framework for Climate

Justice in the Realm of

Climate Geoengineering

William C.G. Burns*

Introduction .................................................................................................150

I. e Growing Impetus for Climate Geoengineering and BECCS ..........152

II. BECCS and Its Potential Ramications for Human Rights ..................157

A. BECCS and the Human Right to Food ..........................................157

B. BECCS and the Human Right to Water .........................................161

C. BECCS and Potential Contravention of Other Human Rights .......162

III. Operationalizing Human Rights Protections Under the Paris

Agreement in the Context of BECCS/Climate Geoengineering ............164

A. e Contours of a Human Rights-Based Approach ........................164

1. Human Rights Impact Assessments ...........................................165

2. Analysis and Recommendations ................................................166

B. Implementing the HRBA for Climate Geoengineering Within

the Paris Agreement ........................................................................169

Conclusion ...................................................................................................170

* Co-executive director, Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment, School of

International Service, American University, Washington, D.C. I wish to extend my

heartfelt appreciation for the research assistance of Sharon Moraes of the University of

Chicago Law School and Marlon White of Florida A&M College of Law. e author also

wishes to thank the Centre for International Governance Innovation for nancial support

in the preparation of this chapter.

Chapter 6

150 Climate Justice

Introduction

One of the most strikin g aspects of the new Paris Agre ement1 to the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Cha nge (UNFCCC)2

is the incorpor ation of human rights la nguage in its prea mble. While the

human rig hts community in recent yea rs has sought to hig hlight the

nexus between climate change and human rights,3 the climate chan ge

communit y has hi storically been far more reluctant to do so.4 I n 2010,

however, the Partie s to the UNFCCC adopted a resolution providing

that the Par ties “shou ld, in all climate change related actions, fully respect

human rights.”5 After contentious debate,6 the Par is Agreement bec ame

the rst climate change instrument, a nd one of t he rst env ironmental

1. Adoption of the Paris Agreement, UNFCC Conference of the Parties, 21st Sess., U.N. Doc. FCCC/

CP/2015/10/Add.1 (Dec. 12, 2015), http://unfccc.int/les/home/application/pdf/paris_agreement.

pdf [hereinafter Paris Agreement].

2. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, May 9, 1992, 31 I.L.M. 849.

3. See, e.g., United Nations Human Rights Council Res. 29/15, Human Rights and Climate Change

(2015) (“Arming that human rights obligations, standards and principles have the potential to inform

and strengthen international, regional and national policymaking in the area of climate change”),

http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/29/L.21; United Nations Human Rights

Council Res. 26/27, Human Rights and Climate Change, 26th Sess., U.N. Doc. A/HRC/RES/26/27

(2014) (“Emphasizing that the adverse eects of climate change have a range of implications, both

direct and indirect, for the eective enjoyment of human rights”), http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/

dpage_e.aspx?si=A/HRC/26/L.33/Rev.1; United Nations Human Rights Council Res. 10/4, Human

Rights and Climate Change, 10th Sess., U.N. Doc. A/HRC/10/L.11 (2009) (“Climate change-related

impacts have a range of implications, both direct and indirect, for the eective enjoyment of human

rights”), http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/HRC/resolutions/A_HRC_RES_10_4.pdf; Report of the

Oce of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Relationship Between Climate

Change and Human Rights, U.N. Human Rights Council, 10th Sess., Provisional Agenda Item 2, at

para. 75, U.N. Doc. A/HRC/10/61 (2009).

4. Sheila R. Foster & Paolo Galizzi, Human Rights and Climate Change: Building Synergies for a Common

Future, in C C L 43, 44 (Daniel A. Farber & Marjan Peeters eds., 2016); Megan H.

Herzog, Coastal Climate Change Adaptation and International Human Rights, in C C

I  O  C L 593, 605 (Randall S. Abate ed., 2015).

5. Report of the Conference of the Parties on Its Sixteenth Session, Held in Cancun From 29 November to 10

December 2010—Addendum, Part Two: Action Taken by the Conference of the Parties at Its Sixteenth

Session, Decisions Adopted by the Conference of the Parties, UNFCCC, 16th Sess., Decision 1/CP.16, at

4, para. 8, U.N. Doc. FCCC/CP/2010/7/Add.1 (2010) (emphasis added), http://unfccc.int/resource/

docs/2010/cop16/eng/07a01.pdf. While not explicitly referring to human rights impacts, the Kyoto

Protocol to the UNFCCC includes consistent language, providing that industrialized countries should

strive to “minimize adverse social, environmental and economic impacts on developing country

Parties” in terms of mitigation response measures. Decisions Adopted by the Conference of the Parties,

UNFCCC, Decision 1/CP.3, U.N. Doc. FCCC/CP/1997/L.7/Add.1 (1997), reprinted in 37 I.L.M.

22 (1997), at art. 3(14).

6. Human Rights in Climate Pact Under Fire: Norway, Saudis, US Blocking Strong Position, H.

R. W, Dec. 7, 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/07/human-rights-climate-pact-

under-fi re; Marc Lim on, Why Human Rights Must Be at Heart of Climate Change Deci-

sions, W E. F., Sep t. 14, 20 15, https ://www.wefor um.org/ag enda/2015/ 09/why-

human-rights-must-be-at-the-heart-of-climate-change-decisions/.