Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - A recent Scottish Parliament debate highlighted the work that the Scottish Human Rights Commission is undertaking across various policy areas and the contributions covered everything from community justice to human trafficking.
Climate change, an issue I take very seriously and have worked on in various capacities for a long time is often framed solely as an economic obstacle, or an abstract problem for science. Indeed, all too often, the real-life impact of climate change on human life is overlooked.
I used my speech in this human rights debate to highlight the on-going climate justice campaign; a geographically wide topic, but one that is relatively narrow in policy terms. It is an area in which the global rich impose an inescapable cost on the global poor. The idea of climate justice is, essentially, viewing climate change through a lens of human rights and equality.
In 2009, the United Nations Human Rights Council observed that
“Human rights obligations and commitments have the potential to inform and strengthen international and national policy making in the area of climate change.”
The Scottish Government has made great progress in engaging with the human rights and climate change agenda and developing solutions and policy on the world scale. The establishment of the pioneering Climate Justice Fund is just one example and is complimented by other far-reaching initiatives such as the memorandum of understanding with the Inter-American Development Bank; carbon capture work with the Republic of South Africa; commonwealth saltire professional fellowships and many more. Each of these sees Scotland’s expertise in a variety of fields being recognised, and put to good use in resolving one of the greatest challenges we face on our planet.
For example, the MRFCJ highlights gender equality and the disproportionate impact on the world’s women as being of critical importance.
As temperatures rise across the globe, aridity follows and crop failures are an inevitable consequence. In many of the poorest countries in the world, women are at the front line. They are the primary farmers, who now have less food and have to walk further for fuel and water. It is in this area that the impacts appear to be happening fastest and the effects have the most direct potential to kill adults and, especially, children.
Just as crucial to efforts to improve climate justice is the issue of migration, and the inevitable consequence of poverty, the mass movement of peoples into areas that are, often only a little, less poor. We cannot morally live with a policy and practice of spreading the poverty around more widely and solutions must be developed to support communities where they are.
In all of these respects we have to help countries around the world mitigate the effects of climate change, and we should all take great pride Scotland and the Scottish Government are working in partnership with organisations around the world to do just that. In so doing we are all supporting efforts towards international development and equality, and reinforcing Scotland’s reputation as a progressive, modern country, willing to cooperate with global efforts. However, we need to be just as committed as individuals and citizens to turning down the world’s thermostat, and can do so by acting and consuming responsibly in our own homes and communities, and continue setting the example for others.
