CYIL vol. 15 (2024)

PETRA BAUMRUK LINKING HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT: IS THERE A HUMAN RIGHT TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT? Petra Baumruk Abstract: Human beings interact with the environment constantly, and as a result, these interactions affect quality of life. The main consideration in this Article is the link between human rights and the right to a healthy environment. The author seeks to give an insight into the evolving perspectives between human rights and the environment, providing examples of diverging views of human rights and environmental lawyers. The discussion and development of the right to a healthy environment is shortly considered at two levels, international and regional. Resumé: Lidské bytosti neustále vzájemně působí s prostředím, a v důsledku toho tyto interakce ovlivňují kvalitu života. Hlavním hlediskem v tomto článku je souvislost mezi lidskými právy a právem na zdravé životní prostředí. Autorka se snaží nahlédnout do vyví jejících se perspektiv mezi lidskými právy a životním prostředím a uvádí příklady odlišných pohledů právníků specializovaných na lidská práva a na životní prostředí. Rozvoj práva na zdravé životní prostředí je stručně zvažován na dvou úrovních, mezinárodní a regionální. Keywords: healthy environment, human rights, Stockholm Declaration, International Court of Justice, environmental protection On the Author: Petra Baumruk, Ph.D. LL.M. , is an Icelandic lawyer currently working as an Associate Professor at Bifröst University in Iceland. She is a former Ph.D. and LL.M. student at Charles University, in Prague. Prior to her current position, Petra worked as a Legal Council at the Environmental and Natural Resources Board of Appeal in Reykjavík, Iceland (from 2019 to 2022) and a Legal Officer at the Ministry of Welfare (from 2017 to 2019) where her main projects were implementing the Icelandic Equal Pay System, revision of the Icelandic Equality Act and drafting a bill on sexual autonomy. 1. Introduction The environmental movement which began in the late 1960s emerged as a general public concern for environmental protection. Even though environmental law and human rights law developed separately, from today’s perspective, it seems obvious that human rights and the environment are inherently interlinked , as the life and the personal integrity of each human being depends on protecting the environment. Moreover, concern for human health appeared then, as now, to be a natural bridge between environmental protection and the promotion and protection of human rights. 1 The interrelationship between human rights and environmental protection was first introduced in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration , the biggest milestone towards the 1 ANTON, Donald K. and SHELTON, Dinah L.: Environmental Protection and Human Rights . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, p. 1. HODKOVÁ, Iveta: Is There a Right to a Healthy Environment in the International Legal Order. Connecticut Journal of International Law , Vol. 7 (1), 1991, p. 1; ATAPATTU, Sumudu. The Right to a Healthy Life or the Right to Die Polluted? The Emergence of a Human Right to a Healthy Environment Under International Law. Tulane Environmental Law Journal , Vol. 16 (1), 2002, p. 67.

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