About the presentation
Due to rising sea levels, small island developing states (SIDS) face the prospect of losing everything they have, including the ground beneath their feet, despite their minimal contribution to global heating. Forcible displacement associated with climate change can undermine many protected rights including the right to basic amenities such as food, water and shelter, the right to life, freedom of movement and the right to privacy and family life. Citizens of SIDs will be forced to migrate without adequate protection under international human rights or refugee law.
Sam Adelman will discuss the right to self-determination, and the need for a right to relocation and resettlement. He will also examine the limits of human rights as indicated by the decision of the UN Human Rights Committee in 2020 in the Teitiota case, the UN General Assembly’s resolution in 2022 on the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, and the implications of the UN General Assembly resolution in March 2023 to request an advisory opinion on climate change from the International Court of Justice.
About the speaker
Sam Adelman is a Professor from the School of Law at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. He has published on development, legal theory, and human rights. His teaching and research focus include climate change and international development law and human rights. He is also a visiting professor at the Nelson Mandela University and North-West University in South Africa.