U.S. Statement at the Human Rights Impact of Climate Change Side Event
Statement As Delivered by Ambassador Michèle Taylor
Human Rights Council – 49th Session
March 14, 2022
Good afternoon and thank you to the organizers of this event and the excellent speakers we have heard from today.
The world faces a profound climate crisis in every region of the world. It threatens us all – our communities, our public health and our economy, and, more fundamentally, our ability to maintain life as we know it on Planet Earth.
The consequences of climate change and environmental degradation have a significant effect on the enjoyment of human rights. Across the world, people have experienced increasing incidence of droughts, devastating floods, rising sea levels, disruptions to food systems, and toxic air pollution. We know these conditions can lead to hunger and poverty and that they exacerbate conflict and instability. These adverse consequences disproportionately affect underserved and marginalized communities, making them even more vulnerable.
Some countries are experiencing much more severe effects than others, which we also must acknowledge and address.
Climate change is an existential challenge the world must tackle together. The United States is committed to working at home and with other countries and partners to put our climate on a sustainable pathway. While we work to address the climate crisis, the United States is also committed to working to help vulnerable countries increase resilience and adapt to the effects of climate change. At home, the Biden Administration has already mobilized a whole-of-government approach to help those hit hardest by climate change and to create a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous future. As part of the Justice40 initiative, President Biden has committed to delivering forty percent of the overall benefits of federal climate investments to disadvantaged and marginalized communities. We will continue to work as part of one international community, as no one country can overcome this global threat alone.
Thank you.
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