The Worst Impacts of the Climate Crisis Can Be Reversed Only If We Unite
Mary Robinson, chair of The Elders and former President of Ireland.
November 29, 2023
The decisions we make in the next six years could have implications that last for generations: On the one hand, we are on the cusp of a climate-safe world. But because we are not moving fast enough to cut carbon emissions, we are facing a catastrophic climate and nature crisis.
—Mary Robinson
I must admit that I wasn’t always aware of the dire threat that the climate crisis posed to humanity.
I had a general understanding, but my focus was on the wellbeing of people. And as the second U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, I had a particular interest in making sure that the people at the bottom of the pyramid—the 4 billion living in abject poverty—received the protection and justice that they too often lacked.
It was during this and subsequent climate-focused roles for the U.N. that I came to fully appreciate the connection between climate change and human rights. When I was in African countries, on the ground trying to secure the most fundamental of rights for people—rights to food and water, health, and education—I saw how climate change was undermining all of those efforts. That led to an awakening for me as to how climate change has a disproportionately damaging impact on the poorest countries and communities.