Petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Seeking Relief from Violations of the Rights of Arctic Athabaskan Peoples Resulting from Rapid Arctic Warming and Melting Caused by Emissions of Black Carbon by Canada (Athabaskan Petition)

Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Violation of Human Rights under the American Convention on Human Rights

On 23 April 2013, Earthjustice, on behalf of the Arctic Athabaskan Council, filed a petition that alleged Canada’s fragmentary and lax regulation of black carbon emissions threatened the Athabaskan people’s human rights. Specifically, that “black carbon pollution from Canada is harming the Arctic environment and ecosystems upon which indigenous Arctic Athabaskan peoples depend for their lives, livelihoods, and culture” (p. 1). The human rights in question include the right to culture, the right to property, the right to means of subsistence, and the right to health.

In relation to climate displacement, there were several references to displacement subsumed under the various human rights arguments. Under the right to health, they allege that for “those who must relocate”, relocation from weather-related hazards can cause “social and mental stress, even trauma”; and under the right to property, noting that floods have washed away entire villages.

45,000 people (p. 8)

Athabaskan Petition, http://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/petition-inter-american-commission-humanrights-seeking-relief-violations-rights-arctic-athabaskan-peoples-resulting-rapid-arctic-warming-melting-causedemissions/; https://climatecasechart.com/wp-content/uploads/non-us-case-documents/2013/20130423_5082_petition.pdf

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