Vaibhavi Gangadhar & Harshit Anand (Symbiosis Law School, Pune)
ABSTRACT
Human Rights as defined by the United Nations extends to all human beings, turning a much-needed blind eye to other factors such as diversity on geographical, linguistic, gender and racial basis. Dating its inception to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is evident that these Rights are an inalienable part of every human’s life. They protect the Right to Life and Liberty by providing freedoms that ensure the dignity of every individual in the world.
While this is true, the understanding of Human Rights and the extent of its application might not be uniform in all countries. For instance, the increasing amount of air pollution world over can be interpreted as a violation of Human Rights as it takes away the Right to life of dignity and liberty of person. It affects their surroundings and intervenes in their day-to-day activities. In most extreme cases, it poses health hazards that affects the respiratory, reproductive and cardiac systems of the human body. Furthermore, in countries that are marred with economic backwardness and poverty, the ‘Human Rights violation’ extends to its future generation as well, because most children are forced to work in industries that emit polluting substances which not only affect their health but also their future as their income comes at the cost of education and infrastructure.
This, in juxtaposition to the reality as on date where air pollution is only viewed as policy objective presents a dichotomy in the 21st Century World Community. In fact, one of the levelled criticisms meted out to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as put forth by the United Nations, is that it excludes the term ‘Human Rights.’ Meaning thereby, that while the issue of unclean air can be salvaged, viewing it as a Human Right violation is its most viable solution.
Keywords: Human Rights, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Right to Life and Liberty, Sustainable Development Goals, Clean Air.
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