Climate change and human rights In 2008, the Human Rights Council (HRC) expressed concerns that climate change "poses an immediate and far-reaching threat to people and communities around the world” (resolution 7/23). In a further resolution in March 2009, resolution 10/4, the Council noted that the impacts of climate change on human rights “will be felt most acutely by those segments of the population who are already in a vulnerable situation”. Subsequently, a series of HRC resolutions and reports affirmed the impact of climate change on human rights and the need for human rights mechanisms to strengthen responses to climate change, as well as highlighted the disproportionate impact of climate change on the human rights of certain groups, including women and girls, children, migrants, persons with disabilities, and older persons. The links between climate change and human rights, as well as State obligations to protect human rights from the impacts of climate change, have also been explored by many Special Procedures mandate holders, and treaty bodies, many of which referred to the impact of climate change on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. In October 2021, the Human Rights Council passed resolution 48/13, in which it recognized that the human rights to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. A safe climate and safe and sufficient water are both substantive elements of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. At the same session, the Human Rights Council established the mandate of a Special Rapporteur on the protection of human rights in the context of climate change in resolution 48/14. Climate change and water and sanitation The IPCC introduces several impacts of climate change on hydrological systems across the world.* Some of those impacts are illustrated in the current report. First, climate change is projected to reduce renewable surface water and groundwater resources significantly in most arid and semi-arid regions. It has been estimated that about 8 per cent of the global population will see a severe reduction in water resources with a 1°C rise in the global mean temperature, the estimation rising to 14 per cent with a 2°C rise. Second, precipitation variability will increase – , which means, on the one hand, growing risks of heavy rainfall and storms, with stronger river flood peaks, higher flood risks and intensified soil erosion; and on the other hand, more intense and longer droughts. Third, climate change is projected to increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events, including cyclones, hurricanes, and monsoons, destroying local water and sanitation infrastructure. Fourth, sea-level rise is predicted to increase the salinization of coastal aquifers. Finally, the temperature rise will lead to increase in evapotranspiration of vegetation, reducing river flows and favouring the concentration of contaminants in water and the biological processes of eutrophication of water bodies. The hydrological impacts of climate change cannot be separated from the socio-economic context in which they occur. The risks will worsen with population growth if there is no adequate hydrological, territorial and urban planning that allows for good governance of water and aquatic ecosystems. *For all references, please see the full text of the report. 2