CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS: NORTH-EAST INDIA IN CONTEXT

Abstract

The impact of climate change upon the basic human rights of the people is emerging as a frontline research area particularly in the North East region of India- the region which is more prone to the gushing impacts of global climate change due to its geo-ecological delicateness, shared international boundaries, rugged mountain terrains and the regions’ high dependency on climate sensitive livelihood such as agriculture, tea and forestry. Profound impacts of climate change in the region are being seen already in the form of rise in average temperature, slight changes in rainfall patterns, changes in the biodiversity, decrease of air quality which has ultimately threatened an array of human rights of the people in the region such as their Right to Life, Right to Food, Right to health and so on. Although Climate change has a cascading effect upon the people of the North East region of India, this area has been under-acknowledged and under-researched. Therefore, the paper purports to explore and evaluate the threats that anthropogenic climate change has imposed upon the human rights of the people of North-East India along albeit interrogating the measures that have been undertaken to address the issue and their efficacy.