Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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Prof. talks global warming and human rights

While global warming and natural disasters are often at the center of the climate change debate, little has been studied about the human rights implications of a climate shift. This is something George Washington University Prof. Dinah Shelton wants to change.

Shelton spoke to a crowd of about 25 students, faculty and other community members Thursday at the Roberta Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies. Her speech on the influence of climate change on human rights was one of a series sponsored by the Buffett Center, which brings speakers knowledgeable about many aspects of human rights to Northwestern.

A member of the board of editors of the American Journal of International Law, Shelton cited several cases around the world in places such as the island nation Maldives and the Arctic, where she believes climate change is adversely affecting the indigenous people in a “systematic violation of human rights for future generations.”

“Climate change is a challenge to the world’s full enjoyment of their rights to life, adequate food and adequate housing,” Shelton said.

This change in the Earth’s temperature is affecting poorer countries more than industrialized countries, which is why human rights now factors into the scientific debate, Shelton said.

She added global warming is drying up crops and the phenomenon is growing out of control, as shown by rising sea and average temperature levels. Shelton shared a grim prediction with the audience.

“Last year in Europe, 14,800 people died from heat waves that swept the continent,” Shelton said. “It is predicted that in 30 years, those deadly heat wave temperatures will be the global mean.”

Shelton was invited to speak by Krzysztof Kozubski, the assistant director of the Buffett Center. This quarter, the Center has hosted experts who have spoken about human rights issues, including international law and immigration between Mexico and the United States. Kozubski said he thinks protecting people’s rights in the climate change debate is significant though not pressing.

“I believe that climate change is a serious issue that the world faces today, ” Kozubski said. “However, I don’t think that the human rights aspect is the primary issue that we need to deal with.”

Mary Katherine Gleissner, a Weinberg senior and co-director of the NU Conference on Human Rights, echoed these sentiments and said the climate change issue should not be a part of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“I agree that human rights violations that come from climate change are an issue,” Gleissner said. “But I do not think that the issue is the primary focus of why we need to battle global warming.”

Shelton said she is in the pursuit of what she called “the adequate conditions of life” for all people in the world, and she is working on a report on the subject for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The first female American member of the group, Shelton said she wants to draw more attention to the issue in the United States, particularly because industrialized nations are at the root of the problem.

“Everyone has an obligation to deal with this problem,” she said.

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Prof. talks global warming and human rights