5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Human rights and the environment are intertwined; human rights cannot be enjoyed without a safe, healthy environment. Sustainable environmental governance cannot exist without the establishment of and respect for human rights. Environmental rights are composed of substantive rights (fundamental rights) and procedural rights. Substantive rights comprise of: civil and political rights, such as the rights to life, freedom of association and freedom from discrimination; economic and social rights such as rights to health, food and an adequate standard of living; cultural rights such as rights to access to religious sites; and collective rights affected by environmental degradation, such as the rights of indigenous people. Procedural rights include 3 fundamental access rights -access to information, public participation and justice. Whether we call this a wave, trend or “a rights revolution” matters little, but definitely there has been a rise in public attention as well as academic writings about environmental rights. One of the defining characteristics of the Anthropocene, characterized by a new and destructive human–nature relationship, is that for the first time in humanity’s history, the access to a clean and healthy environment is uncertain for large groups of persons and ecosystems.