The text, proposed by Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, was approved with 43 votes in favor and 4 abstentions by Russia, India, China and Japan. According to David Boyd, UN special rapporteur on human rights and the environment, this is “a historic turning point”. WHO estimates that 24.3% of the world’s total deaths are due to air pollution and exposure to chemicals
Access to a clean and healthy environment it is a right basic. This was established on 8 October on United Nations Human Rights Council with an almost unanimous consensus, despite the criticisms of some countries (in particular United States e Great Britain). According to David Boyd, special rapporteur of the United Nations on human rights and the environment, it is about “a historic turning point, in a world where the global environmental crisis causes more than nine million premature deaths every year ”.
The text, proposed by Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, was approved with 43 votes in favor and 4 abstentions from Russia, India, China and Japan. Britain, which has been among the critics of the proposal in recent negotiations, ultimately voted in favor. His ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Rita French, said the UK voted “yes” because it shares the ambition to tackle climate change. The United States, on the other hand, did not vote because at the moment they are not part of the 47 members that make up the Council. The Ambassador of Costa Rica, Catalina Devandas Aguilar, defined the UN decision as “a powerful message to communities around the world grappling with climatic difficulties that are not alone”. According to some environmentalists, Britain’s former critical stance was becoming an issue ahead of COP26, the global climate conference it will host in Glasgow in November. John Knox, former UN Special Rapporteur, stated before the vote that the detractors of the resolution were “On the wrong side of history”. The World Health Organization estimates about that 13.7 million deaths per year – 24.3% of the world total – are due to environmental risks such as air pollution and exposure to chemicals.
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