A/HRC/52/28
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
23 December 2022
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Fifty-second session
27 February–31 March 2023
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Towards a just transformation: climate crisis and the right to
housing
Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component
of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to nondiscrimination in this context, Balakrishnan Rajagopal
Summary
The climate crisis is severely threatening the enjoyment of the right to adequate
housing around the world. Climate mitigation and adaptation policies and misguided
responses to climate events may sometimes undermine the right to adequate housing.
Marginalized groups and their homes are at particular risk and exposed to the impact of
climate change and therefore need to be involved in climate responses at all levels.
Housing itself makes a significant contribution to climate change, through housing
construction, urban sprawl, soil sealing, energy consumption, water use, pollutants,
deforestation, desertification and loss of biodiversity. A timely and well-devised intervention
in the housing sector is therefore necessary. This includes stepping up efforts to improve
energy efficiency, taking measures to electrify households, incorporating sustainability in
building codes and standards, using low-carbon construction methods and materials, making
more equitable use of the existing housing stock and integrating climate change and climate
resilience into urban planning.
It is imperative to achieve a just transition towards rights-compliant, climate-resilient
and carbon-neutral housing. International cooperation, financial support and significant
investments are necessary to support this transition, including the creation of a fund to
support climate mitigation and adaptation measures in the housing sector for those
developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
A just transition must also entail international remedies and compensation for climateinduced loss and damage in the area of housing.
The costs of the transition in the housing sector must be shared fairly among and
within countries, and among public authorities, taxpayers, homeowners and renters or other
affected groups, to ensure that nobody is left behind.
GE.22-28556 (E)
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