Climate Change, Human Rights, and COP 21: One Step Forward and Two Steps Back or Vice Versa?

The Paris Agreement signals the international community’s commitment to addressing climate change in a meaningful manner. The inclusion of human rights in its Preamble, agreed to in the COP 21 conference, is a significant step forward, as is the mention of climate justice and the need to limit the global temperature increase to just 1.5 degrees. However, the agreement’s omission of a discussion on “climate displacement,” and a mechanism for “compensation” limits its utility.