The Greening of Human Rights

Abstract

When looking at the decisions of various human rights bodies across the world, it quickly becomes clear that the use of human rights to improve environmental protection has been on the rise since the 1980s. Despite the non-recognition of the right to a healthy environment in any declaration of human rights, international courts have produced an abundant case-law regarding environmental issues. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has been the most progressive in handling environmental cases. This thesis deals with the question of how human rights and environmental protection have interrelated within the framework of the European Court of Human Rights between 1990 and 2020.