Right to a Healthy Environment

The right to a healthy environment is spreading across the globe in international agreements, constitutions, environmental legislation and court decisions. Even in countries where the constitution does not explicitly include the right to a healthy environment, courts have often ruled that this right is implicit in the right to life, the right to health, or the government's duty to protect the environment.

The Right to a Healthy Environment Around the World
The countries explicitly recognize the right to a healthy environment in their constitutions:

Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Togo and Uganda.

Asia: Azerbaijan, East Timor, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

Europe: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Ukraine.

Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

International or regional instruments the right to a healthy environment has been recognized:

1972 - Chapter I, para. 1 and Chapter II of the Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment ("Stockholm Declaration")

1992 - Principle 1 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development

1999 - Article 11 of the Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ("Protocol of San Salvador")

2015 - Recital 12 of the Paris Agreement

=Cases Involving the Right to a Healthy Environment=

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